EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE? Is this dioxin related or genetic......?

I served with the 1st Infantry Div., III Corps, 1969. My exposure to Agent Orange and health issues that followed, is well documented. Both of my (now adult) daughters were affected as well. They each have had major surgeries over the years.

One of my daughters had a rare dental condition that had to be corrected with surgery. Her dentist asked me if I had been exposed to agent orange, reason being he had only seen 7 such cases, all were children of Vietnam Vets. (This occurred in the late '70s, early '80s).

The condition is called "Ancerose Teeth" whereas the root's grow outward, and teeth grow in the wrong location, wrong size. (RARE). Others may know of it by another name.

My grand daughter is now having corrective dental surgery for the samething.

I would like to hear from other EXPOSED Vets whose children (or grand children) have had rare dental problems.

Research has been done on tooth development problems in children of exposed veterans (using lab rats). Results of two studies I read described the exact condition. It appears data needs to be pooled regarding dental conditions amongst exposed veterans children. (I have attached briefs from two such studies)


I don't know if this is genetic or dioxin related? Your input would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Jim C.

Effects on Bone and Teeth Previous studies have suggested that defects in children’s tooth development may be associated with environmental exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like chemicals (Alaluusua et al., 2002; Funatsu et al., 1971; Lind et al., 1999, 2000a,b; Rogan et al., 1988). Tooth development in rats and mink appears to be a target of TCDD toxicity that is at least partially a result of coexpression of the AhR and Arnt during early tooth development (IOM, 2003). TCDD can arrest molar tooth development in rats after in utero and lactational exposure. Recent studies in rats have identified the “critical window” of in utero exposure that effects development of the molars (Miettinen et al., 2002) and incisors (Kiukkonen et al., 2002), as well as impairment of tooth development in tissue culture (Partanen et al., 2004). Pregnant female dioxin-sensitive line C rats were exposed to a single oral dose of TCDD at 1 µg/kg on gestation days 11, 13,



Brief from second study:

In a study in which mouse embryonic molar tooth explants were exposed to TCDD at 1 µM in tissue culture, morphogenesis of the first molar teeth was not inhibited, but the development of the second molars was arrested when they were explanted before the early-bud stage (Partonen et al., 2004). Later exposure led to smaller tooth size and altered cuspal morphology. The results of in vitro studies also revealed that TCDD enhanced apoptosis of dental epithelial cells predetermined to undergo apoptosis during normal development. The authors concluded that TCDD can arrest tooth development in vitro if exposure starts at the initiation stage and that TCDD interferes with tooth development by stimulating apoptosis in cells of the dental epithelium.

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