Tooth Emergence and Oral Health: A Study of Twins and their Families
A REQUEST TO EXPECTANT MOTHERS AND FAMILIES OF NEWBORN TWINS OR TRIPLETS
Would you like to participate in a new study of tooth emergence and oral health in twins (as well as triplets and quads) and their families?
This Australia-wide research project will be the first of its type in the world. It is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and has full ethical approval. It is also supported by the Australian Twin Registry.
We hope to include around 500 families in the study that will look specifically at when the baby teeth of twins, both identical and non-identical, first appear in the mouth and also when the bacteria that are associated with dental decay first begin to grow.
You will be able to collect the records needed for the study in your own home. We will provide everything that you need and keep in regular contact with you to provide any advice necessary and to answer any questions you may have about your children’s teeth.
We would like to follow the development of your children’s teeth from around birth until about 3 years of age. By finding out how genetic and environmental factors contribute to variation in dental development, we will be better able to plan any future treatment. Also, improved understanding of when and how certain bacteria grow in the mouth will help in determining the best time to begin preventive approaches to control dental decay.
We’re sure that you’ll find recording the first appearance of your children’s teeth and checking on their oral health both interesting and enjoyable, so we hope you can participate.
Prof Grant Townsend (University of Adelaide) phone (08) 8303 5968
A/Prof Kim Seow (University of Queensland) phone (07) 3365 8061
Prof Theo Gotjamanos (University of Notre Dame Australia) phone (08) 9385 9902
If you are interested in participating in our study, please contact any of the chief investigators above or Michelle Bockmann as follows:
Phone: (08) 8303 3739
Email: michelle.bockmann@adelaide.edu.au
