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Study Links Exposure To Tooth Decay
Lead exposure in children appears to contribute to greater tooth decay, a new study says (Reuters/Boston Globe, June 23).
The study, published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assn., found an 80% jump in the risk of tooth decay for every 5 micrograms per deciliter increase in lead levels. Federal regulators have set 10 micrograms as the maximum acceptable exposure. The U. of Rochester researchers speculated the lead "either reduced production of saliva," which can protect teeth, or "crowded out" calcium during tooth formation (John O'Neil, New York Times, June 23). The study might help explain why tooth decay is more common among poor children as "older, rundown homes often have peeling lead paint" (AP/Baltimore Sun, June 23).
Also published in JAMA is a study by U. of California-San Francisco researchers that found that children and adults who had more vitamin C in their blood had lower levels of lead. But no correlation could be found between lead levels and the amount of vitamin C study subjects reported consuming (O'Neil, New York Times).