Signs of Autism Can Be Found in Children's Baby Teeth,
New Study Suggests
By Kashmira Gander
on 5/31/18 at 6:16 AM
Newsweek magazine
Baby Teeth Give Clues To Autism's Origins
Scientists have created a new test which can identify whether a child has autism by looking at their baby teeth.
The paper is centered around how children metabolize metals, which are critical to neurodevelopment in early life. An imbalance in this process has previously been linked with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City wanted to uncover the mechanisms which underlie this link.
As children grow, a new layer of tooth is formed each day which shows the chemicals circulating in their body, similar to growth rings on a tree. In a nationwide study of baby teeth from 200 twins in Sweden, the researchers used lasers to test whether zinc-copper cycles were different in those with autism.
The results indicated that zinc-copper cycles in fetuses and children with autism were affected in a number of ways when compared with children without the condition. They were able to reproduce the same results in studies of children in the U.S and the U.K.
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