BPA Exposure in Children Tied with Dental Cavities

A new study from France has shown that exposure to bisphenol A during childhood can damage teeth.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Ariane Berdal, Université Paris-Diderot and Sylvie Babajko, Research Director at Inserm Unit 872 "Centre des Cordeliers." The study was conducted on rats who were exposed to BPA from birth.

Bisphenol A or BPA is a chemical used in plastics and epoxy resins. The chemical has many applications and is found in water bottles, cups, impact resistant material, compact discs, etc. Epoxy resin is used to coat metal products such as food cans, bottles and cups.

A study published in PNAS had found that exposure to BPA can lead to shorter reproductive life and certain birth defects. BPA has some effects on children's behavior, brain and changes in the prostate glands of infants. There is also some evidence regarding BPA exposure and altered time of puberty in girls, says the FDA.  

The latest study found that BPA exposure in rats led to damage of molars and permanent incisors. In children, this condition is called MIH (Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation) and can lead to pain and cavities.

In the study, one of the signs of dental problems was the presence of white marks on the incisors. Researchers then compared the effects of BPA treatment in rats with that of characteristics of teeth in people diagnosed with MIH.

The study showed that in both cases, teeth were brittle and had lost enamel. There was also an increase in a protein called enamelin in the tooth matrix. This protein is important for enamel formation.

Researchers also found that the primary targets of BPA were genes that code for genes: enamelin and kallicrein 4.

"Insofar as BPA has the same mechanism of action in rats as in men, it could also be a causal agent of MIH. Therefore, teeth could be used as early markers of exposure to endocrine disruptors acting in the same way as BPA and so could help in early detection of serious pathologies that would otherwise have occurred several years later," Sylvie Babajko, an author of the article, said in a news release.

The study is published in The American Journal of Pathology.