Objectives: This study is aimed at exploring pre-, peri- and post-natal factors affecting eruption timing of the first tooth (TE1) and the link between TE1 and somatic growth during the first year of life.
Methods: Participants were recruited through the GUSTO (Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes) birth cohort in Singapore. In addition to serial measurements of growth trajectory including weight, height, head/mid-arm/abdominal circumference and foot length collected at birth, 3 weeks and 3-6-9-12 months during home visits, interviewer-administered questionnaires and simple oral examinations were conducted at 6, 9 and 12 months of age. Regression models were built with the control of potential confounders including ethnicity, gender, household income and mother’s educational level.
Results: Analysis was conducted for 946 children who had their first tooth erupted by 12+1.5 months of age. The mean TE1 for boys and girls were 8.25+2.15 and 8.57+2.18 months respectively. Chinese infants presented an earlier tooth eruption (7.92+2.07 months) in comparison to the Malays (8.94+2.10 months) and Indians (9.32+2.14 months) (p<0.001 for both). The TE1 was significantly influenced by maternal consumption of dairy products during pregnancy (B=-1.09, p=0.013), but it was not affected by complications during pregnancy/delivery, gestational age, birth weight, neonatal complications, maternal/child illnesses, intake of medications/supplements, dietary/breastfeeding patterns, maternal tobacco exposure, or alcohol consumption. No relationship was found between TE1 and 12-month anthropometric measurements except for BMI (B=-0.07, p=0.021).
Conclusions: Mothers having similar or higher intake of dairy products during pregnancy (compared to pre-pregnancy) may enhance their offspring’s first tooth eruption. Earlier eruption timing may be associated with the child’s BMI at 12 months.