The STRONG study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The STRONG study
IRAS ID
313775
Contact name
Patrick Mahoney
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Kent
Duration of Study in the UK
7 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
BACKGROUND
Exposure to psychological stressors during critical periods of development, such as foetal development, are known to increase the likelihood of developing subsequent mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.Teeth offer a unique way to assess early life stress episodes as deciduous teeth form during the second and third trimester of gestation. Enamel formation is known to be altered by psychological and physiological stressors and retains a permanent record of the stress episode and its timing.
IMPORTANCE
Relevant to psychiatric and biomedical research. Being able to identify individuals most at risk of developing later health problems is key to providing early support and preventive strategies.PROBLEM
To fully utilise teeth as a tool for identifying at-risk individuals, we need to understand how a stressor become embodied within deciduous enamel, including how the presentation of dental stress defects relates to the stress response initiated by the stressor, and if certain foetal ages are more sensitive to stress.OBJECTIVES
1. To understand how maternal stressors alter the process of enamel formation in the developing teeth of their foetuses.
2. If the prominence of the enamel defect is related to the degree of stress experienced by the foetus.
3. If sensitivity to stress varies by foetal age.HOW
Using the naturally exfoliated deciduous teeth of children who were in utero when their mothers experienced a known psychological stressor will allow us to identify and analyse the enamel regions that were forming at this time.
Analysis will involve:
1. producing histological thin sections to assess changes in enamel micro structures.
2. Testing levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in the teeth.WHERE
This seven year study will be conducted in the secure human osteology research lab, University of Kent. This includes the preparation and analysis of histological slides and cortisol testing.REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SC/0144
Date of REC Opinion
27 Apr 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion