According to an article from HealthDay News, British and Finnish researchers have identified the genes that influence tooth development in the first year of life.

They analyzed the genetic code of 6,000 people in Finland and Britain who took part in studies that tracked them from their mother's early pregnancy until adulthood. The scientists pinpointed five genes associated with the time of the appearance of the first tooth and the number of teeth by age 1. In addition, one of the genes was associated with a 35% increased risk of requiring orthodontic treatment by age 30.

Identification of genes that play a role in tooth development and growth may lead to innovations in the early treatment and prevention of dental problems, the researchers said.

"The discoveries of genetic and environmental determinants of human development will help us to understand the development of many disorders which appear later in life. We hope also that these discoveries will increase knowledge about why fetal growth seems to be such an important factor in the development of many chronic diseases," study leader Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin, of the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said in a news release.

The study appears in the February 26 issue of the journal PLoS Genetics.

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