A new study has uncovered an unexpected connection between a mother’s stress during pregnancy and how quickly her baby’s teeth appear.

Researchers from the University of Rochester, New York State, found that infants born to mothers with higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol tended to develop their first teeth earlier—sometimes, months ahead of peers.

Published in Frontiers in Oral Health , the research suggested that maternal stress can subtly accelerate biological aging in babies .

"A mother's higher levels of stress-related hormones, particularly of cortisol, during late pregnancy are associated with the earlier eruption of primary teeth in her infant," said lead author Dr. Ying Meng, an associate professor at the University of Rochester’s School of Nursing.

The team

See Full Page