NATION Decay down to diet

Experts find bad teeth not passed from parents to children

POOR genes are no excuse for children having decaying teeth, according to new Melbourne research that points the finger at bad diets and dental care.

A large study of Melbourne twins has found a person’s genetic makeup does not predispose them to tooth decay – meaning parents largely have the ability to dictate how healthy their children’s’ teeth will be by encouraging good oral health.

However, the Murdoch Children’s Research institute study found children born to overweight mothers are more likely to have cavities than those born to mums in a healthier weight range.

Lead researcher Dr Mihiri Silva from MCRI said that while genes may play a biological role in some isolated cases or dental conditions, it was the environment a child is raised in that will ultimately dictate the health of their teeth.

“It is quite common to have this idea that our children are prone to get tooth decay because they come from a long line of people who have bad teeth,” Dr Silva said.

“But this study does support most of the literature: that it is environmental things that happen around our lifestyle and where we live that influence our susceptibility to decay, rather than our genes.

“While we can’t discount it (genetics) and it probably has some role, overall when we look at whether six-year old children will get decay or not it is about nurture rather than nature.”

After examining the teeth of 173 sets of twins from pregnancy through to six years of age, the MCRI-led team found one in three had dental decay and almost one in four had advanced decay.

Instead of genes, Dr Silva said environmental factors passed down by their parents and shared by the twins – such as diets, teeth brushing and whether they lived in areas with fluoride in the water – determined their health. SOUTH Australia is having a horror start to the 2019 flu season, with the number of confirmed cases already surpassing last year’s total.

SA Health says there have been 7500 confirmed cases so far and three people have died.

Health Minister Stephen Wade said the notification rate was “unprecedented” and it is difficult to predict its trajectory. He urged all South Australians to get a flu shot.

But the Liberals have been accused of “a dramatic failure in planning” after the Flinders Medical Centre ran out of vaccines for staff.