Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · European Journal of General Dentistry 2012; 1(02): 104-108
DOI: 10.4103/2278-9626.103397
Case Report

Similar caries pattern in monozygotic twins: Role of nature and/or nurture

Anshula Deshpande
Department of Periodontics, K.M. Shah Dental College, Sumandeep Vidyapeth, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
,
Neeraj Deshpande
1   Department of Periodontics, K.M. Shah Dental College, Sumandeep Vidyapeth, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
  PDF Download Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

The present article attempts to relook at the role of genetics in the caries pattern in pediatric patients. Genetics exerts a major influence on initiation and progression of caries. Several investigators have studied the genetic aspects in humans using both twin studies and family pedigree approaches. The recent advances in molecular biology and the outcomes of the Human Genome Project can help to have innovative approaches to understand the etiology of this complex disease. A pair of 5-year-old monozygotic twin brothers was referred by the Pediatrician for multiple caries. Both the brothers were reared apart but presented with similar dental caries traits. Comprehensive oral health care with a preventive and therapeutic procedure was provided. Periodic recall visits were scheduled after every 6 months. By studying dental diseases in the twins reared apart, the element of environmental influence is eliminated while retaining the advantage of similar genotype in monozygotic twins. This report of monozygotic twins imparts light on the significant contribution of genetic factors on caries susceptibility.

Keywords

Dental caries - genetics - monozygous twins - reared apart


Publication History

Article published online:
01 November 2021

© 2012. European Journal of General Dentistry. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India

 

  • References

  • 1 Galton F. The history of twins as a criterion of the relative powers of nature and nurture, Fraser′s Magazine 1875;12:566-76.
  • 2 Horowitz SL, Osborne RH, De George FV. Caries experience in twins. Science 1958;128:300-1.
  • 3 Goodman HO, Luke JE, Rosen S, Hackel E. Heritability in dental caries, certain oral microflora and salivary components. Am J Hum Genet 1959;11:263-73.
  • 4 Finn SB, Caldwell RC. Dental caries in twins-i. A comparison of the caries experience of monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins and unrelated children. Arch Oral Biol 1963;70:571-85.
  • 5 Bretz WA, Corby PM, Schork NJ, Robinson MT, Coelho M, Costa S, et al. Longitudinal analysis of heritability for dental caries traits. J Dent Res 2005;84:1047-51.
  • 6 Liu H, Deng H, Cao CF, Ono H. Genetic analysis of dental traits in 82 pairs of female-female twins. Chin J Dent Res 1998;1:12-6.
  • 7 Bouchard TJ. Whenever the twain shall meet. The Sciences 1997;37:52-7.
  • 8 Farber SL. Identical twins reared apart: A reanalysis, New York: Basic Books, Inc; 1981.
  • 9 Townsend GC, Richards LC, Brown T, Burgess VB. Twin zygosity determination on the basis of dental morphology. J Forensic Odontostomatol 1988;6:1-15.
  • 10 Conry JP, Messer LB, Boraas JC, Aeppli DP, Bouchard TJ Jr. Dental caries and treatment characteristics in human twins reared apart. Arch Oral Biol 1993;38:937-43.
  • 11 Clarkson BH, Feagin FF, McCurdy SP, Sheetz JH, Speirs R. Effects of phosphoprotein moieties on the remineralization of human root caries. Caries Res 1991;25:166-73.
  • 12 Smith AJ, Lesot H. Induction and regulation of crown dentinogenesis: Embryonic events as a template for dental tissue repair? Crit Rev Oral Biol Med 2001;12:425-37.
  • 13 Sulkala M, Wahlgren J, Larmas M, Sorsa T, Teronen O, Salo T, et al. The effects of MMP inhibitors on human salivary MMP activity and caries progression in rats. J Dent Res 2001;80:1545-9.
  • 14 Ballabio A. The rise and fall of positional cloning? Nat Genet 1993;3:277-9.
  • 15 Collins FS. Positional cloning moves from perditional to traditional. Nat Genet 1995;9:347-50.
  • 16 Slavkin HC. The human genome, implications for oral health and diseases, and dental education. J Dent Educ 2001;65:463-79.
  • 17 Mandel ID. Relation of saliva and plaque to caries. J Dent Res 1974;53:246-66.
  • 18 Wood BF, Green LJ. Second premolar morphologic trait similarities in twins. J Dent Res 1969;48:74-8.
  • 19 Corruccini RS, Potter RH. Genetic analysis of occlusal variation in twins. Am J Orthod. 1980;78:140-54.
  • 20 Forrai G, Bánkövi G. On the food favoritism of twins. Acta Physiol Hung 1984;64:25-32.