Altering maternal calcium and phosphorus dietary intake induces persistent sex‐specific changes in the dentition of the offspring

Abstract

BackgroundThe maternal diet is essential to offspring development, but the specific effects on tooth morphology are still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of altering maternal calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) supplementation during gestation and lactation on offspring dentition.MethodsPregnant mice were fed an experimental diet containing a threefold increase in Ca and a threefold decrease in P compared to the standard mouse chow diet at embryonic Day 0.5 (E0.5). Offspring mice were maintained on standard or experimental diets from post‐natal Day 0 to weaning, then fed control diets until 6 weeks of age. Six‐week‐old offspring heads were collected and scanned using micro‐computed tomography. Dental morphometrics of offspring maxillary and mandibular first and third molars (n = 5–6 per diet/per sex) were determined. A two‐way ANOVA test was employed to verify the existence of any significant differences between groups. The significance level was set at P < .05.ResultsA two‐way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant interaction between the effects of diet and sex on the upper and lower dentition. Moreover, experimental diet‐fed female offspring exhibited smaller molars with shorter mesiodistal width and larger pulp chambers relative to controls, while experimental diet‐fed male offspring possessed larger molars with wider mesiodistal width and smaller pulp chambers.ConclusionOur findings reveal that altering the maternal and offspring dietary Ca:P ratio during gestation, lactation and weaning led to significant, sex‐specific changes in the offspring dentition. The differences in dentition appeared to be correlated with the sex‐specific changes in the craniofacial skeleton.