The sensitivity of the developing tooth germ to systemic disturbances.
Deciduous tooth germs were removed from 76 babies who were either stillborn or had died in infancy. Lines in enamel or dentine were identified histologically. A chronological association was found between these lines and systemic illness in the child or pregnant mother in half the cases studied. Enamel was more sensitive to environmental factors than dentine, but causes of disturbance appeared to be non-specific. Teeth are a sensitive but non-specific index of environmental disturbance.
D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000473:pathology; D003804:Dentin / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000473:pathology*; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000473:pathology*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D014083:Tooth Germ / Q000473:pathology*; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000473:pathology*