Endocrine Disruptors in Paediatric Dental Patients

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Diet or Dentistry? Endocrine disrupting compound concentrations in a UK paediatric dental population

  • IRAS ID

    239929

  • Contact name

    Anfal Alwadi

  • Contact email

    anfal.alwadi@plymouth.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Plymouth

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    3 years, 0 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Plasticizers are colourless and odourless chemicals including phthalate and non-phthalate compounds, used to increase the elasticity of a material, such as PCV, to make them more flexible and bendable. Non-phthalate compounds, such as Bisphenol A that used as starting material for plastic synthesis, are also present in dental materials. Health effects and safety for these compounds have been widely researched, and results show that these compounds may have endocrine disrupting effects, which means that the substance can interact with the hormone system of mammals. Children are particularly vulnerable to these disrupting effects due to their different developmental physiology and lower efficiency for elimination of foreign compounds from their bodies.
    In this study, we aim to investigate to what extent resin-based dental materials (dental sealant) will contribute to the paediatric population exposure to these endocrine disrupting chemicals, beside their dietary exposure,in a child population attending Peninsula Dental School (PDS) clinics. Also, we will determine the baseline concentrations of specific compounds, such as di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and their metabolites, and their newer alternatives such as bisphenol S and DINCH in those children and to explore whether correlations exist between these baseline concentrations and dietary habits as assessed by frequency analysis of food diaries (for example, the number of times food was cooked/heated in plastic; the number of times canned food was consumed; frequency of drinking from plastic bottles).

  • REC name

    West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    18/WM/0236

  • Date of REC Opinion

    15 Aug 2018

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion