Victorian baby teeth could help predict future health of children today
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Victorian baby teeth could help predict future health of children today Baby teeth from children who died during the 1845-52 Irish famine could help predict the future health of children born today, according to new research by the Universities of Durham and Bradford. The team analysed the teeth of children and adults from two 19th century cemeteries, one at a Workhouse in Ireland where famine victims were buried and the other in London, which holds the graves of some of those who fled the famine. They found that the biochemical composition of teeth that were forming in the womb and during a child's early years not only provided insight into the health of the baby's mother, it even showed major differences between those infants who died and those who survived beyond early childhood. Earlier work led by Dr Janet Montgomery and involving Dr Mandy Jay, both from Durham University's Department of Archaeology, found similar results in people living in the Iron Age on the Isle of Skye and in Neolithic Shetland.
