Keep Oral Hygiene as Dental Fillings may Induce Behavioural Problem

A latest research done claims that, kids who get dental fillings done using BPA are more likely fall a prey of behavioural and emotional problems  later. This new study was published in the July 16 issue of Pediatrics.

BPA short form of bisphenol-A is a chemical that is used in certain types of children's tooth fillings. This chemical is found in cans and other food packaging that has been linked to health risks such as cancer, birth defects and disruption of the normal development in babies and kids.  Last year, a study tied prenatal exposure to BPA to hyperactivity and anxiety, especially in children. But its effects are still far from clear.

"It's a controversial topic in dental research, how much really does leach (from fillings)... and whether or not that would have an effect," said Nancy Maserejian, from New England Research Institutes in Watertown, Massachusetts. "It's generally assumed that the amounts leached are tiny.  Dental fillings made using BPA are becoming more popular because they are teeth-colored, as opposed to older, silver-colored amalgam fillings."

In order to conduct the study, Maserejian and her colleagues worked on that data of 534 kids between the age group 6 - 10 years who reported of having cavities and were randomly chosen for amalgam fillings or one of the two different types of composite fillings. BPA was used in the manufacturing process of one of those newer fillings.

These kids along with their parents were approached after 5 years and were asked to answer a series of questions about anxiety and depression attitude at school and overall behaviour.

On conducting this survey the researchers noticed that kids who had multiple fillings made using BPA - and who'd had those fillings for a long time, consistently scored two to six points worse on 100-point behaviour measures than those who had none of the fillings or who'd only had one for a short time.

Behavioural problems were more prominent and common in kids who had those fillings on chewing surface, the researchers reported in pediatrics. This supports the concept that some fillings may begin to break down over time with chewing and leach certain chemicals.

Maserejian said, "it's possible the fillings contain residual BPA that was used in making them, even though the chemical isn't supposed to be a main ingredient in the fillings themselves. But whether that's the case - and whether small amounts of those chemicals could have an effect on brain development - is all hypothetical. We didn't measure BPA, and we don't know whether BPA was in (the fillings). There are other chemicals used in these composites, and BPA isn't directly used in them. We don't really know what the health effects of these other chemicals are."

According to the researchers they would need to do a little more research in order to derive a complete clear idea.

They noticed the average behaviour between the kids with various types if fillings were so small and not noticeable for most children.

Types of fillings are really something that a dentist has to determine based on the cavity that needs to get filled and the child," Maserejian said. "At this point, the best thing a parent can do is avoid that discussion entirely by just preventing cavities as best they can with brushing and flossing."