The STRONG study

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    The STRONG study

  • IRAS ID

    313775

  • Contact name

    Patrick Mahoney

  • Contact email

    p.mahoney@kent.ac.uk

  • 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