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Why Do Some People Have Wonky Teeth? |
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By News
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Tuesday, 02 March 2010 |
It's all in the genes according to researchers at Oulu University.
Genes which control tooth development in the first year of life have been identified by a team of scientists at Oulu University and Imperial College, London. They have also uncovered a link between late development of milk teeth and a future need to see an orthodontist.
They found that babies that carried specific genes tended to have noticeably fewer teeth by their first birthdays than other children. By the time these children were 30, they were 35 percent more likely to require treatment by an orthodontist.
The research studied the genetic codes of around 4000 people from northern Finland and a further 2000 from the UK.
Prof. Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin told the magazine Dentistry that, 'The discoveries of genetic and environmental determinants of human development will help us to understand the development of many disorders which appear later in life.'
‘We hope also that these discoveries will increase knowledge about why foetal growth seems to be such an important factor in the development of many chronic diseases.'
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