Can baby teeth be used to identify children at risk of mental health disorders later in life?

Indeed, the investigation report explains, “Children’s exposure to prenatal and perinatal maternal psychosocial stressors, such as psychopathological symptoms, stressful life events, and neighbourhood disadvantage, can impact brain health across the life course. In addition to nearly doubling the risk of a mental health disorder, maternal psychosocial stress can become biologically embedded in children, resulting in lifelong physiological and neurobiological disruptions.”

As such, Erin was interested in uncovering whether there are specific periods during a child’s development when exposure to adversity is particularly harmful – however, scientists lack an effective tool for measuring this. Whilst asking people about painful experiences from their childhood is an option, it is vulnerable to poor recall and a reluctance to share painful memories. Detailed prenatal medical reports are often unavailable, posing another challenge. As a result, the report explains that “there is a need for novel measurement tools that can objectively, as well as inexpensively and noninvasively, provide information (beyond self-reports) about children’s exposure to prenatal maternal stress and social support.”