By Kelsi Matylewicz/Benco Dental Social Media Intern

Scientists, from The University of Bradford and Durham University in England, may have discovered that by examining baby teeth, they can better predict the health risks children will face as they age.

The researchers began by analyzing teeth from victims of the Irish Potato Famine.

According to the Huffington Post,

“The researchers analyzed baby teeth unearthed from 19th-Century cemeteries in Ireland — where victims of the famine were buried — and in London, where many families who fled the famine settled. They looked at levels of nitrogen and carbon in the teeth, and found that the teeth of people who died in infancy had higher nitrogen levels than the teeth of people who lived into childhood or adolescence,” The Guardian reported.

Dr. Julia Beaumont, professor of biological anthropology at the University of Bradford and leader of the research, stated that examining the biochemical composition of the naturally-shed baby teeth of living children, today, could help predict their future health.

Interested in reading more? https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/20/baby-teeth-and-health_n_7088928.html?utm_hp_ref=tw