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Effects of Maternal Nutrition on Oral Health in Offspring

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

According to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) theory, nutritional status in utero can permanently change body structure, function, and metabolism and eventually regulate the susceptibilities toward various diseases in later life. This review aims to examine and summarize the findings of previous reports, revealing how maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation affects oral health in offspring.

Recent Findings

A limited number of studies have found an evident relationship between maternal nutrition and children’s oral health. Some evidence suggests that maternal nutrients such as sucrose, proteins, minerals, and vitamins are associated with oral and maxillofacial development, including bone and tooth size, and the risk of dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancer in offspring.

Summary

The lessons of DOHaD theory from the perspective of the oral health of offspring reveal how in utero nutrients affect not only oral health but also total health throughout life. Oral disease and dysfunction can be prevented in the next generation by improving maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation periods.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Helen Jeays, BDSc AE, from Edanz (https://jp.edanz.com/ac) for editing a draft of this manuscript.

Funding

The work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI grants JP22K09914 to T.K-Y. and JP20H03854 to M.H.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Dental Science, OBT Research Center, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan

    Tomoyo Kawakubo-Yasukochi

  2. Division of Functional Structure, Department of Morphological Biology, Fukuoka Dental College, 2-15-1 Tamura, Sawara-Ku, Fukuoka, 814-0193, Japan

    Yoshikazu Hayashi

  3. Oral Medicine Research Center, Fukuoka Dental College, 2-15-1 Tamura, Sawara-Ku, Fukuoka, 814-0193, Japan

    Masato Hirata

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  1. Tomoyo Kawakubo-Yasukochi
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Contributions

T.K-Y conceived and designed the review, searched literature, and wrote the manuscript. Y.H coordinated the review of papers, data extraction, and obtaining additional information. M.H. critically revised the work.

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Correspondence to Tomoyo Kawakubo-Yasukochi.

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Kawakubo-Yasukochi, T., Hayashi, Y. & Hirata, M. Effects of Maternal Nutrition on Oral Health in Offspring. Curr Oral Health Rep 10, 69–74 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40496-023-00338-z

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