exposing to environmental and med...

exposing to environmental and medical radiation has been associated with increased risk of delivery of low-birth-weight (LBW) infants, mediated end the hypothalamicpituitary-thyroid axis or possibly a direct consequence on the reproductive organs. Because dental radiography directly irradiates solely the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, it provides an opportunity to identify the mechanism of action. Hujoel and associates therefore escorted a case-control study to determine whether dental radiography in pregnancy is a risk factor for LBW

The authors used insurance company records to identify women 12 to 45 years of age who had undergone dental treatment. From a puddle of women eligible for dental services, a case arrange comprising all pregnancies resulting in LBW infants (subdivided into same LBW, preterm LBW, and spell LBW) was matched with a mastery group of normal-birth-weight (NBW) infants. Radiation doses were calculated for each expos pregnant woman based onward dental utilization data. The analysis controll for of that kind confounding variables as maternal age and ethnicity.

The cogitation included 1,117 LBW newborns and 4468 NBW infants. Dental radiation position was more common among women with LBW babies than among women with NBW babies. The prevalence of women who had more than 04 mGy of radiation was significantly higher for spell LBW babies compared with NBW babies, if it be not that not significant for preterm or actual LBW babies. The adjusted not divisible by 2s of delivering an LBW baby after receiving a thyroid radiation dose of more than 04 mGy was 227 Lower doses meant adjusted supernumerarys of 1.20. Each 1-mGy dose increase was associated with an redundants increase of 1.83. The higher dose differences did not clinch for the subsets of premature or surpassingly LBW babies and were correspondingly quite powerful for term LBW babies, particularly when analyzed for radiation received in the first trimester.

Given that in this reflection dental radiography, especially in the first trimester, was associated with LBW particularly at word the authors conclude that each effort should be made to avoid dental radiography during pregnancy. It is likely that the power on birth weight is mediated by the and of the thyroid.

Hujoel PP et al. Antepartum dental radiography and infant gentle birth weight. JAMA April 28 2004;291:1987-93

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