Blood lead level and dental caries in school-age children.

Abstract

The association between blood lead level and dental caries was evaluated in cross-sectional analyses of baseline data for 543 children 6-10 years old screened for enrollment in the Children's Amalgam Trial, a study designed to assess potential health effects of mercury in silver fillings. Approximately half of the children were recruited from an urban setting (Boston/Cambridge, MA, USA) and approximately half from a rural setting (Farmington, ME, USA). Mean blood lead level was significantly greater among the urban subgroup, as was the mean number of carious tooth surfaces. Blood lead level was positively associated with number of caries among urban children, even with adjustment for demographic and maternal factors and child dental practices. This association was stronger in primary than in permanent dentition and stronger for occlusal, lingual, and buccal tooth surfaces than for mesial or distal surfaces. In general, blood lead was not associated with caries in the rural subgroup. The difference between the strength of the associations in the urban and rural settings might reflect the presence of residual confounding in the former setting, the presence of greater variability in the latter setting in terms of important caries risk factors (e.g., fluoride exposure), or greater exposure misclassification in the rural setting. These findings add to the evidence supporting a weak association between children's lead exposure and caries prevalence. A biologic mechanism for lead cariogenicity has not been identified, however. Our data are also consistent with residual confounding by factors associated with both elevated lead exposure and dental caries.

Lead (Pb2+) modulation of potassium currents of guinea pig outer hair cells

“…The fact that the effects of Pb 2 + are not completely reversible by washing perhaps is indicative that palliative chelation therapy that prevents or reverses the binding of metallic cations to cellular ligands may not hold excellent promise to prevent or reverse peripheral or central effects of the auditory system due to the effects of Pb 2 + [20]. The association of BLL to a number of neurodevelopmental conditions [12,14,38,46] should not be minimized, however, in spite of the relatively benign effects of Pb 2 + observed in vitro on hair cells in the present investigation, albeit hair cells have an epithelial origin and may therefore react differently than nerve cells. However, based on the present observations, we cannot reconcile differences between acute effects of lead on ion channel function as measured here and potential effects of chronic developmental exposure, which occur in the human population as a cause of hearing loss [5,7,29,31].…”

Lead (Pb) and Dental Carries

“…Semakin tinggi kadar Pb dalam darah, maka bisa diasumsikan adanya paparan logam berat Pb yang tinggi dari lingkungan. Kejadian karies gigi pada anak usia 6-10 tahun berkaitan dengan kadar logam berat dalam darah 7 . Pada anak yang memiliki kadar Pb darah yang rendah (< 10 µg/dL ) jarang yang menderita karies gigi dibandingkan dengan anak yang memiliki kadar Pb darah yang tinggi (≥< 10 µg/dL ) 8 .…”

Characterizing Golden Eagle Risk to Lead and Anticoagulant Rodenticide Exposure: A Review

“…The studies that have examined relationships between lead exposure, as reflected by PbB, and the occurrence of dental caries in children have, for the most part, found a positive association (Campbell et al 2000a;Gemmel et al 2002;Moss et al 1999). Moss et al (1999) conducted a cross-sectional analysis of measurements of PbB and dental caries in 24,901 people, including 6,541 children 2-11 years of age, recorded in the NHANES III (1988III ( -1994.…”

“…The effects of chronic-duration exposure to lead in humans and in animals have been relatively well-studied. In humans, exposure to lead has been associated with (only representative citations are included) cardiovascular effects Schwartz 1995;Staessen et al 1994), hematological effects (Chisolm et al 1985;Roels and Lauwerys 1987;Roels et al 1976), musculoskeletal effects (Holness and Nethercott 1988;Marino et al 1989;Pagliuca et al 1990), effects on teeth in children (Gemmel et al 2002;Moss et al 1999), renal effects (Kim et al 1996a;Muntner et al 2003), alterations in serum hormone levels (Gustafson et al 1989;López et al 2000;Singh et al 2000a), cataracts (Schaumberg et al 2004), alterations in electroretinograms (Cavalleri et al 1982;Otto and Fox 1993;Rothenberg et al 2002a), altered vitamin D metabolism (Rosen et al 1980), alterations in immunological parameters (Fischbein et al 1993;Karmaus et al 2005;Lutz et al 1999;Pinkerton et al 1998;Sata et al 1998;Sun et al 2003;Ündeger et al 1996), neurobehavioral effects in adults (Awad El Karim et al 1986;Baker et al 1979Baker et al , 1983Haenninen et al 1979;Holness and Nethercott 1988;Lucchini et al 2000;Matte et al 1989;Pagliuca et al 1990;Pollock and Ibels 1986;…”