Scientists at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York are collaborating to investigate the link between maternal nutrition and the infant oral microbiome.
In their study, Dr. Jin Xiao and Dr. Brenda Abu will explore the relationship between perinatal maternal eating and non-feeding behavior and its impact on the oral microbiome of infants and young children, in in particular, the colonization of the oral cavity by bacteria at an early age. Xiao and Abu will also study the characteristics of pica, namely the microbiological composition of the substances that mothers use during pica.
Pika is the compulsive consumption of non-food substances that have no nutritional value. Previous research suggests that pica is most common in women and children.
Non-food substances can be seemingly harmless items such as ice, as well as hazardous materials such as dried paint, clay, soil or metal. Pika can cause infections and deplete iron stores in pregnant women.
Scientists say this study could inform prenatal counseling for underserved women and predict and prevent severe tooth decay in young children. Xiao led a previous study on underserved racial and ethnic minority groups that found that the presence of certain bacteria and yeasts in a mother's mouth increases her child's risk of tooth decay.