According to research conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and the Universities of Bristol (UK) and Oulu (Finland), the teeth of babies with certain genetic variants tend to appear later and are more likely to require braces.

To reach these conclusions, published in the journal PLoS Genetics, examined the genetic code of 6,000 individuals from whom data were available from fetal development through adulthood.

The study identifies five genes associated with teething and the number of pieces which the child is at the age of one year, among which one related to an increased risk of dental problems in adulthood.

The researchers say this discovery may lead to innovations in the early treatment and prevention of congenital dental problems.

“The discovery of genetic and environmental determinants of human development will help us understand many disorders that arise during the life,” said the Finnish professor Marjo-Riitta Jarvelin, lead author of the study.

The growth of the teeth is not an isolated phenomenon, and the same genes had already been linked with the development of the skull, ears, fingers and toes, heart and jaw. Jarvelin hoped that such findings provide new information on the reasons for fetal development is so important for the origin of chronic diseases.