Scientists Bioengineer New Teeth in Mice

Researchers in Japan report that they've grown new teeth in mice with the help of bioengineered tissue, an early sign of progress in the effort to grow new organs in humans. Read more

Can Dental Work Cause Vertigo? - Specialist QA - 101 - Dental Health

I recently had all my teeth scaled at the periodontist to remove the plaque and tartar from above and below my gum line. This involved a lot of injections. Do you think the vertigo I'm now experiencing could be related to all this dental work?... Read more

Is Your Dentist Drilling for Dollars?

Millions of dollars worth of unnecessary dental treatments are being performed each year.

One dentist told a patient she had a fractured jaw, although it was not fractured at all. The dentist performed surgery anyway, and inserted hundreds of tiny beads instead of a bone graft. The beads became infected and required multiple surgeries for removal. The same dentists has reportedly performed unnecessary root canals and other unneeded dental work.

In addition to unnecessary procedures, there have been cases of “phantom billing” by dentists, in which dentists simply bill insurers for services they never performed.

James Quiggle, of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, says there has been a disturbing spike in dental fraud by crooked dentists. An ABC News investigation uncovered dental fraud cases across the country, causing harm to patients and bilking insurance companies out of millions of dollars.

Sources:
ABC News January 21, 2008

No dentist? Oh, no!

By Gary F. Arnet, D.D.S.

Enjoying lunch while looking out over the gorgeous view from your backcountry home, you bite down hard on a nut, hear a loud crack, and immediately feel excruciating pain from a broken tooth. Rare? No, it occurs all the time.

Dental emergencies can occur at home or in the wilderness without warning and can incapacitate a person in an instant. “No problem, I’ll get right over to the dentist,” you think. Hopefully, that is possible, but not always. You may live some distance from a dentist, it may be a night or weekend when it is hard to find one, or there may not be any available.

One of the first things that stop during a disaster is dental care. Major natural disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, or floods, and human disasters, such as terrorism or riots, close dental offices in a second. Electrical shortages, as seen in California recently, or any disruption of the regional power grids and there is no help since dentists can’t operate without electricity. Hospitals rarely have any dental services, so you could be on your own for hours or days.

Since dental first aid is rarely taught in first aid classes, information presented here is intended to help you in an emergency situation when no professional dental help is available. It is not intended to be a substitute for proper dental care. Continue Reading >>

Here are a few samples of toxicity reactions to mercury/amalgam dental fillings and/or improvements after removing the fillings.

I found these post and email on the Internet. The names have beenremoved to protect confidentiality, but many of these posts can befound in various archives and WWW search engines.



Please not that this is only a small percentage of adverse reactions to mercury amalgams that have been posted to the Internet over the last several months. The adverse reactions posted to the Internet are only avery small percentage of the total adverse reactions reported to various groups. There are no official lists of adverse reactions as far as I know. Please join the AMALGAM mailing list and see the dental links and files on my home page for more information.

Adverse Reaction Samples From the Internet

Further scientific information can be found at Mercury Adverse Effects Web Page, 150 Year's of Russian Roulette Web Page, Alt Corp's Amalgam Page, and Bo Walhjalt's Mercury Articles Web Page. More information about removal, detoxification, and placement of composite fillings can be found at Bioprobe, Inc. and at the Preventive Dental Association.

more information about amalgam and toxins: http://www.dreddyclinic.com/integrated_med/amalgammercurydentalfilling.htm

A $33K Dental Makeover for Free? Sign me up!

By Theresa Tamkins

Like a lot of people, I wish I had the pearly white teeth of a Hollywood starlet. But last year my dentist told me it would take $5,000 out-of-pocket to make it happen, so I decided to continue frittering away my money on food, kids’ clothing, and $4-a-gallon gasoline instead. (For more on pricey teeth, check out “The Soaring Cost of Dental Care Is Nothing to Smile About”).
But those dreams die hard. So when I heard about the Ultimate Dental Health Makeover contest run by the magazine Dear Doctor: Dentistry and Oral Health, my ears perked up. If you win the contest, which is open to contestants through Dec. 1, you get all the dental work you need, whether it costs $5K or $33K. Read More

Health Tip: X-Rays at the Dentist

(HealthDay News) -- Healthy teeth require more than good dental hygiene and regular cleanings. Dental X-rays can show potential abnormalities that your dentist couldn't otherwise see, indicating how healthy your teeth really are.

Here's a list of what dental X-rays can be used to identify, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• The number, size and position of all teeth.
• Teeth that are impacted or those that haven't emerged.
• Cavities.
• Damage to the bones surrounding the teeth.
• Abscesses.
• Fractures in the jaw.
• Other abnormalities of the teeth or jaw.

Health Tip: Talking to Your Dentist

(HealthDay News) -- Good dental care protects your teeth, and helps prevent other health problems. So, it's important to talk to your dentist about how to take proper care of your teeth.

Here are questions to ask your dentist, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

• What kind of toothbrush is best for my teeth and gums?
• Do I have specific problems with my teeth and oral health that need watching?
• How do I floss properly?
• Should I use any special instruments to clean my teeth, such as an electric toothbrush?
• Should I use any special rinses or mouth washes?

Heavy Metal Toxicity and dental fillings removal

Heavy Metal Toxicity can be caused by mercury fillings. This video prepares your dental appointment with a holistic dentist or a general dentistry clinic.Fumes of heavy metal while being removed can make you more sick than ever before. Be prepared.

Chemical & Heavy Metal Cleanse Starter Kit $149.85 [ learn more ] The Chemical & Heavy Metal Starter Kit was designed by Dr. Group for individuals that are new to the cleansing process, or are simply looking for an easy-to-perform, cost effective cleanse program. The Heavy Metal Starter Kit is comprised of LIFE Detox Foot Patches™, NDF Plus™, and Quantum Zeolite™.

Journey to Holistic Dentistry

Dr. Flora Stay shares how she started a career in holistic dentistry after graduating from Dental School. An educational video exclusive on iHealthTube.

Tischler Dental: Holistic Dentistry in Woodstock, New York

Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbbxKchHW0Y

Over 50 years, Dr. Michael Tischler, cosmetic dentist of Tischler Dental in New York believes in the philosophy of treating the "whole person" -- that is, seeing your dental well being in the context of your overall health.

Here Dr. Tischler discusses how he entered the field of holistic dentistry and how subtle, non-invasive adjustments to a patient's teeth can alleviate chronic body pain.To learn more about Holistic Dentistry, visit http://www.tischlerdental.com

International Ban on Mercury in Dental Amalgam

Luxembourg Appeal
International Ban on Mercury in Dental Amalgam

Coordination:
European Academy for AKUT asbl Environmental Medicine e.V.
137, rue de Mühlenbach Juliuspromenade 54
L-2168 Luxembourg D-97070 Würzburg
tel. +352 22 33 75 tel. +49 931 35 34 830 fax +352 22 28 73 fax +49 931 57 31 31 info@akut.lu europaem@europaem.de

Luxembourg Appeal:
Towards an International Ban on Mercury in Dental Amalgam

Invited by the „Aktionsgruppe für Umwelttoxikologie (AKUT asbl)“ in Luxembourg and the “European Academy for Environmental Medicine” (EUROPAEM) and under the patronage of the Ministry of Health Luxembourg, renowned scientists, researchers, doctors specialized in environmental medicine, physicians, and dentists as well as politicians, NGOs, and patient groups met on the 10th of November 2007 to draw attention to the serious risks for health and environment coming from mercury out of dental amalgam.
Following this international conference, they published unanimously this urgent appeal addressing the European Commission, the European Parliament, and all national health authorities within and outside of Europe to ban mercury in dental amalgam.

Luxembourg Appeal
The signatories, participants of this international conference in Luxembourg, and/or supporters of the objectives and outcomes of this conference, believe that:
• starting from the scientifically uncontested toxicity and the health and environment damaging potential of mercury and its combination with other metals,
• recognizing the effort of UNEP as well as the report of the EU-Commission to the Council and the European Parliament concerning their joint strategy on mercury,
• recognizing the resolution of the European Parliament about the joint strategy on mercury and the therein included doubts and reservations against the use of mercury in dental amalgam,
• pointing out that, repeatedly now, on both European and international platforms, independent scientists and researchers, doctors specialized in environmental medicine, critical physicians and dentists as well as NGOs and patient groups urgently warn against the continued use of mercury, especially in the dental medical field,
• considering the fact that these warnings are grounded, among other things, on the demand of the precaution principle and a preventive policy for health and environment,
• considering the fact that, at the same time, scientific evidence that mercury from dental amalgam in many cases unambiguously leads to numerous health disturbances or chronic diseases increases,
• supported by the fact that dental amalgam is not an alloy but only a mixture and therefore allows a continuous release of mercury and other heavy metals,
• further supported by the fact that experiments on cells and animals as well as studies on post mortem examination of humans provide strong evidence for storage of mercury in human cells, tissues, and organs,
• considering that primarily mercury vapor released from dental amalgam is adsorbed and accumulated by cells and tissues,
• based on the fact that this direct storage of mercury vapor from dental amalgam constitutes a primary enrichment in addition to accumulation from other sources of mercury such as the animal and human food chain,
• considering that accumulation of mercury is able to cause chronic diseases dependent on the dose, duration of contact, individual susceptibility, and the genetically determined or acquired state of detoxification mechanisms,
• pointing out that in industrial countries, mercury from dental amalgam represents the second greatest burdening source of mercury for the environment and therefore for human nutrition,
• knowing the potential of physical damage from mercury, especially o the toxicity to cells and toxic damage to cell membranes, o the neurotoxicity, o the modulation of the immune system and immune toxicity, o the alteration of endocrine patterns, o the reduction of fertility, o and the risks for embryonal and fetal development (perinatal damage),
• considering that, therefore, numerous health disturbances as well as inflammatory, chronically degenerative and often severe chronic diseases can be initiated,
• regarding that in this context scientific studies are providing more and more evidence showing correlations between the use of mercury in amalgam as well as other dental metals and frequently occurring serious diseases,
• concluding that mercury from dental amalgam exposes numerous people to irresponsible health risks, especially to developing life in the pre- and perinatal period, the EU authorities, the WHO, as well as the national health authorities in Europe must now seriously take note of those increasing numerous warnings and, as a consequence, ban the use of mercury in dental materials without delay!

Luxembourg, 10th November 2007
Jean Huss
AKUT asbl, LUXEMBOURG
Dr. Kurt E Müller
European Academy for Environmental Medicine e. V., GERMANY

Marie Grosman
Prof. agrégée de biologie,
Association Non au mercure dentaire, FRANCE

Prof. Boyd E. Haley
Professor of Chemistry-Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA

Dr. Graeme Munro-Hall
International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxikology, UNITED KINGDOM

Dr. Joachim Mutter
Institute of Environmental Medicine and Hospital Epidemiology at the University Medical Center, Freiburg, GERMANY

Prof. André Picot
Directeur honoraire de Recherche CNRS
Président de l`Assosication de Toxicologie - Chimie ATC, Paris, FRANCE

Prof. Vera Stejskal
Associate Professor at University of Stockholm and First Faculty, Charles University Prague; Danderyd, SWEDEN

Amalgam Removals

Hi, 7 years ago I had my dental fillings replaced with plastic compositesthat have lasted beautifully. For years I suffered from an array of environmental, chemical, dust, food, and you name it allergies andsensitivities and associated problems. My life was a living HELL!I lost my job ultimately because of it - couldn't function well.

Thefillings were a very large part of the problem and if I hadn't hadthem removed I know that I would not be alive today. So, I am verythankful to the "quacks" such as a kinesiologist/nutritionist, an MD"environmental medicine (ecology)" specialist, and a licensednaturopath who helped me with the diagnosis and recovery.

Older Smokers More Likely to Deny Habit

(HealthDay News) -- Older smokers are more likely than younger ones to deny they smoke when asked about it by doctors and others.

That's the conclusion of a study that analyzed data on 15,182 self-reported "nonsmokers" in the United States who took part in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers found that 8 percent of those self-reported nonsmokers actually were smokers and that smoking denial increased with age.

"Denying smoking overall increased with age from 6 percent of 18 to 34 year olds to 25 percent of the elderly over the age of 75," lead author Monica Fisher, an associate professor at Case Western Reserve University's School of Dental Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

When she and her colleagues analyzed race and gender data, they found that non-Hispanic white men and women followed the overall pattern and had increased denial with age. Smoking denial rates decreased with age among older Mexican-American women, and remained stable over age for Mexican-American men and non-Hispanic black men and women.

In some cases, social taboos may cause older people to deny that they smoke, Fisher said.

She and her colleagues said the findings challenge the validity of utilizing self-reported tobacco use in research projects, surveys of tobacco use in the general public, or in the care of people with chronic diseases related to smoking.

The study was published in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about tobacco use and smoking.

Marijuana Bad for the Gums

(HealthDay News) -- Pot smokers face many of the same health consequences that tobacco users do, such as an increased risk of heart disease, but until now, it wasn't known that marijuana use could also destroy gum tissue.

In the Feb. 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers reported that heavy marijuana users have as much as three times the risk of developing serious gum disease compared to those who haven't smoked pot.

"We found in our study that long-term heavy [marijuana] smokers had a greater risk of gum disease by the time they reach their early 30s," said study lead author W. Murray Thomson, a professor of dental epidemiology and public health at the Sir John Walsh Research Institute at the School of Dentistry in Dunedin, New Zealand.

"The gums in a person's oral cavity before the age of 35 seem to be a pretty sensitive marker for adverse lifestyles," said Philippe Hujoel, a professor in the department of Dental Public Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. Hujoel wrote an accompanying editorial in the same issue of the journal.

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Smoked like tobacco, it has many similar ill health effects. Marijuana use has been associated with increases in the risk of heart disease, head and neck cancers, problems in the lungs and infection. Marijuana has also been associated with social behavior problems, according to NIDA.

For the study, Thomson and his colleagues used data from a group of 900 New Zealanders who have been followed from birth into their early 30s. The group members have been assessed 11 different times since they were 3 years old. The researchers began asking about marijuana use at age 18, and then again at 21, 26 and 32. Dental examinations were conducted at 26 and 32 years of age, according to the study.

Thomson acknowledged that it's sometimes difficult to get people to accurately report illicit drug use. But, he's confident in this case that the use of marijuana was honestly reported, because this group has been participating in this study for so long and knows that its answers will remain confidential.

The researchers identified three marijuana "exposure" groups: No exposure, 32.3 percent; some exposure, 47.4 percent; and high exposure, 20.2 percent.

After adjusting the data to account for tobacco use, gender and a lack of dental care, the researchers found that those in the high-use group had a 60 percent increased risk of early periodontal disease, a 3.1 times greater risk of more advanced gum disease, and a 2.2 times increased risk of losing a tooth due to gum disease, compared to those who didn't use marijuana.

"We think that it is the same as with tobacco smoke: That is, the effect is not directly on the gums as smoke is inhaled. Instead, it acts through toxins being absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs and then affecting the body's ability to heal itself after bursts of destructive inflammation in the gums," Thomson said.

The bottom line, he said, is "don't smoke, whether it's cannabis or tobacco -- it's not a rational thing to do, and it has far-reaching effects on your health."

If you're concerned about the health of your gums, Hujoel suggested that you avoid risk factors, such as smoking, and ask your dentist or periodontist what additional steps you can take to protect them. If you have early periodontal disease, he said that regular periodontal maintenance care is generally recommended, but there may be other treatments, depending on your individual periodontal health.

More information
To learn more about marijuana and its effects on the body, visit the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Health Tip: If You Fear Going to the Dentist

(HealthDay News) - Anxiety about going to the dentist is common, but fear shouldn't prevent you from keeping your teeth in good health.

The American Dental Association offers these suggestions to help ease anxiety at the dentist's office:

• Talk to your dentist or hygienist about your anxiety, so they can better understand and accommodate your needs.
• Schedule appointments when you have plenty of time and won't feel rushed -- such as very early in the morning, or on a Saturday.
• Bring soothing music to distract you during your appointment -- especially if the sounds of a dental office bother you.
• Visualize yourself somewhere pleasant -- on a beach, with family or at a park.

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Health Tip: Drug and Food Interactions

(HealthDay News) - Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, can negatively interact with foods, supplements or other drugs.

Here are guidelines to help prevent food-drug interactions, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

• Check prescription and over-the-counter drug labels to see if they contain any warnings.
  Follow directions on all medications carefully.
• Unless you get your doctor's OK, never break up pills and mix them with food, and never empty capsules into food.
• Take medications with a whole glass of water, unless your doctor has given you other instructions. Never take medications with alcohol.
• Don't take your medications at the same time as you take vitamins or dietary supplements.
• Don't mix medications in a hot drink, as the heat may affect the medication.

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· Addiction Forum · Ask the Doctors Forum · Ayurveda Forum · Ayurvedic & Thai Herbs Forum · Colon Cleansing Forum · Dental Forum · Diabetes Forum · Diet Forum · General Cleansing Forum · Hepatitis A, B. C Forum · Integrated Medicine Forum · Live Blood Analysis Forum · Ozone-Oxygen-Forum · pH - Alkaline - Acidity Forum · Weight Loss Forum

Dentists Take Dimmer View of Patients' Smiles

(HealthDay News) -- People tend to be much happier with the condition of their teeth and smiles than their dentists are, Norwegian researchers report.

Patients also view eyes and teeth as the most important aspects of facial attractiveness, and younger people under 50 are most at ease with the appearance of their teeth, the study found.

"Patients had much higher opinions of their smiles than dentists assessing their smiles," said study author Dr. Oystein Fardal, a periodontist in private practice in Egersund, Norway.

Yet despite the inclination towards more favorable assessments, patients did not usually rank their pearly whites as being the best that they could be.

"They only gave themselves scores of six out 10," he noted. "This could mean that they are content, but realize that they do not compare with the 'perfect smiles' of Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, etcetera."

Fardal and co-author Jannike Jornung, a graduate student in the department of orthodontics in Sweden's Sahlgrenska Academy at Goteborg University, published their findings in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.

To gauge patient and dentist perceptions, the researchers first interviewed 78 patients at a general dental practice in a small rural Norwegian community during September of 2004.
The patients were between the ages of 22 and 84 and, at the time, none were seeking any kind of aesthetic dental care. Nearly two-thirds were women.

Written questionnaires were completed, in which patients assessed on a scale of one to 100 the shape of their lips; the appearance of the soft tissue (gingiva) surrounding their teeth; the shade, shape and alignment of their teeth; and the overall state of their smile.

Patients were also asked to indicate if they thought they had crooked teeth and/or receding gums.

No photographs or mirrors were provided, as patients were asked to grade themselves from memory.

In addition, all the men and women also ranked various facial features according to how important they believed they were to overall attractiveness. Features included hair and hairline, eyes and eyebrows, nose, skin, ears, lips, teeth, chin and the shape of the head.

Digital photos were then taken of the smiles of the first 40 patients, and both the attending dentist and Fardal independently arrived at aesthetic scores based on assessments of tooth shade, spacing, crowding, inflamed tissue and overall appearance.

At no time had Fardal been involved in the dental care of any of the patients.

The authors found that on a scale of 100, average patient satisfaction with the state of their smile came to just over 59 -- a figure that rose significantly among patients under the age of 50.
By contrast, the two dentists' assessments taken together registered at about 40 on the scale.

Specifically, patients were most satisfied with the state of their soft tissue (gingiva) when they smiled. They were least satisfied with the color of their teeth, which they generally described as being too dark.

Skin condition followed teeth and eyes as the most important features contributing to a person's facial attractiveness. Female patients said that teeth and hair were more important to them than did the men, while the men said head shape was more critical.

Fardal and Jernung suggested that dentists should remember that their opinion of the aesthetics of a patient's smile may not match that of the patient.

"Whether the 'perfect smile' exists is a different question," said Fardal. "The smile is made up of the teeth, gums, lips and jaws, and we as dentists use criteria and guidelines attempting to produce the 'perfect smile.' However, how many people actually fulfill these criteria is not known."

"Furthermore, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder," he added. "So there are a lot more smiles that are found to be attractive than just the 'media-created smile'. In addition, social and cultural differences exist, where different features are deemed attractive."

Dr. Edmond Hewlett, a consumer advisor to the American Dental Association, and an associate professor in UCLA's School of Dentistry in Los Angeles, agreed that dentists are trained to look for certain agreed-upon tooth proportions, symmetries, sizes, shapes and coloring when assessing a person's smile.

"I think there is a notion of what the components of an optimally attractive smile," he said. "There are certain parameters that are commonly utilized when a dentist looks at a smile. Then you take these very general parameters and apply them to every individual person with their unique features."

"It's certainly not a cookie-cutter situation, like a Julia Roberts template that we want to stick in everybody's mouth," he stressed. "But when you look at a beautiful smile you do see a lot of the same features -- either because the person is blessed or through orthodontic work -- which we all find appealing.

"Models, for example, consistently have central incisors which tend to be a little bit wider and longer than the other teeth in the front," Hewlett noted. "And yet when you look at two famous actresses -- Kirsten Dunst and Patricia Arquette -- both have a type of crookedness. The incisors are actually tilted back a little, and the canine teeth look more prominent like fangs. Yet both have commented in interviews that they are tired of people telling them to change their teeth. They're quite confident and comfortable."

"And that's the subjectivity of attractive teeth personified," he noted. "They're comfortable in their own skin, and they don't feel the need to conform to some culturally driven ideal of beauty. And that's something I think that dentists need to be sensitive to as well."

More information
For additional information on cosmetic dentistry, visit the American Dental Association.

Obesity Weakens Immune Response

(HealthDay News) -- Obese people find it harder to fight infections, and a weakened immune response may be to blame, suggests a new study from Boston University researchers.

In experiments with mice infected with the bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis, obese mice had less ability to battle gum infection than their normal-weight counterparts, according to the report in this week's early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"For years, we have had difficulty understanding why obese people have difficulty clearing an infection," said lead researcher Dr. Salomon Amar, associate dean for research at the university's School of Dental Medicine.

"Now we understand that dysfunction in some of the mechanisms, as a result of the obesity, explain difficulty in clearing the infection and also the difficulty in wound healing," Amar said.

In the study, Amar's team tied silk threads infected with the bacteria around the molars of obese and normal-weight mice. They then compared the animals' responses to infection, by measuring both the amount of bone loss and the growth of the bacteria around their teeth.

The researchers found that the obese mice had a compromised immune response to the bacteria, which made the animals more susceptible to the infection.

Amar's group also looked at the animals' white blood cells, which are the main line of defense against infection. The white cells of obese mice had lower levels of an important signaling molecule, and some of the genes that fight inflammation were altered, the researchers found.

Why obesity has this effect isn't clear, but the researchers think it may involve a signaling pathway that controls a protein called NF-kB. Alterations in this protein may be caused by constant exposure to food, Amar explained. "At some point, the body doesn't respond properly to infection," he said.

The same mechanism is at work in humans, Amar added. In fact, studies in obese people have shown they are more likely to have gum disease than non-obese people. The disease is caused by bacteria, which causes inflammation and destruction of the bone underlying teeth.

Amar thinks that obese people need to be treated differently to help them fight infections. "We need to be more aggressive in the use of targeted antibiotics in infections among obese people," he said. "Also, we need to boost the immune response."

One expert agreed the finding sheds light on the connection between obesity and infection.
"Very interesting paper," said Dr. Sara G. Grossi, a senior research scientist at the Brody School of Medicine of East Carolina University. "This is a study that needed to be done, with very interesting results and implications for both obesity and periodontal disease -- two diseases that are easier to prevent than to treat."

More information
For more about gum disease, visit the American Academy of Periodontology.

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Depressed Moms' Kids at Higher Injury Risk

(HealthDay News) -- Young children of depressed mothers are at heightened risk for behavioral problems and injury, new research shows.

A team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center looked at 1992-1994 data on more than 1,100 mother/child pairs taking part in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth.

During the study period, 94 of the children (all under age 6) suffered injuries serious enough to require medical attention. Two-thirds of the injuries occurred at home.

Children of mothers who had persistently high scores on measures of depression symptoms were more than twice as likely to be injured as children of mothers with low scores of depression symptoms.

The study also found that children (especially boys) of mothers with high depression scores were much more likely to have behavioral problems and to "act out."

The researchers concluded that every one point increase on a mother's depression score was associated with a 4 percent increased risk of injury and a 6 percent increased risk of behavioral problems in children.

That held true even after the researchers took into account a number of major factors, such as household income, health insurance coverage and level of education.

Depression in mothers may increase the risk of behavioral problems in children and, in turn, boost youngsters' risk of injury, said the study authors, who added that depression in mothers may also result in less supervision of children or increased number of injury hazards in the home.

The study was published in the journal Injury Prevention.

More information
Mental Health America has more about women and depression.

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