Comments on: News to Me

By: Jacob Angel

Jacob Angel — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:47:21 +0000

It’s surprising how often a small sample observation gets extrapolated into a full-blown theory, and then takes on the “veneer” of fact (sorry, couldn’t resist a dental pun).

It’s a phenomenon that has, IMO, been made infinitely more potent by the Internet — information, whether right or wrong, gets transmitted so much faster now than it would have even twenty years ago.

By: dad

dad — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:26:55 +0000

alexandria– I agree and would take the step further and say this is a classic ’seat-of-the-pants’ analytical over-reach involving the ‘correlation is not causation’ fallacy. The dentist noticed (or thought he or she had noticed) some other patients with little or no tooth enamel that were Aspies. Their statement seemed valid to them, but is, of course, not. Unless you get a statistically significant sample size, control for other variables, have a control group, etc., etc., etc.

By: alexandria invisalign

alexandria invisalign — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:26:14 +0000

The correlation is not really accurate. I would say one would amplify the other, but little or no enamel is not a symptom per se of Asperger’s. The writer probably drew too much in his or her conclusion on things.

By: Boston Dentist

Boston Dentist — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:17:22 +0000

I had no idea that there was a relation between the teeth and Asperger’s. Interesting…

By: Kari

Kari — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 04:36:33 +0000

Hmmm. Very interesting.

My teeth were pretty good (no cavities ’til age 12,) but as I’ve aged they have become more sensitive than normal adults.

My son (who was diagnosed PDD-NOS) has horrific teeth. I remember being shocked at how rapidly they eroded. He had a baby root canal at 3.5. (And they said he had poor enamel.)

By: Vespers

Vespers — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 12:17:08 +0000

I have Asperger’s. I can feel it in my teeth whenever I drink something really cold, etc. Before now, I had always thought it was because I clenched my jaw and ground my teeth, which had won away my enamel. Apart from that, my teeth are pretty healthy–Overall, in fact, I’m unusually healthy. But my mother has sensitive teeth, with very thin enamel (she does not have Aspergers but has a number of the traits), and her father, my grandfather, lost all his teeth by the time he was 20; I don’t know why. (My mother thinks he’s manic-depressive, not Asperger’s, however.) I don’t know if these traits are always correlated, but there might be more to the relationship than mere coincidence.

By: Julia

Julia — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 14:37:12 +0000

Uh, no. My kids’ grandfathers, both of which probably had Asperger’s, had fairly normal teeth. Sensitive, yes, in the case of my father, but nothing with the enamel.

Same with me.

And my autistic son didn’t have anything odd like that noted at his dental checkup earlier this month.

By: Lili

Lili — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 15:07:42 +0000

I have Asperger’s, and did not have a single cavity in any of my teeth until I was 30 years old.

My autistic daughter is only three, but she also has perfect teeth, despite the fact that she has never allowed me to brush them due to her sensory issues. I would think that the complete lack of dental hygiene would have led to problems by now if she had weak enamel.

By: gretl

gretl — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 13:36:40 +0000

Cruising around Autism Hub from Kassiane’s Rett Devil website … my Aspie husband and my non-Aspie daughter have a genetic dental condition called amelogenesis imperfecta which causes thin malformed enamel (my Aspie daughter’s teeth are fine.) I can’t fathom any relation between the two issues. The only thing I found on Pubmed was a connection with Kohlschutter-Tonz syndrome which includes ataxia, seizures, and other “neurological impairment” such developmental delay and mental retardation. If I squinted really hard and covered my ears, I might be able to imagine someone mistakenly connecting all those dots. ??!

By: andrea

andrea — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 16:34:11 +0000

Reduced or damaged tooth enamel is associated with bulimia, but I have never seen it associated with autism/Asperger’s. Granted, many dental qualities/types are genetic. Then again, so is nearsightedness, and I wouldn’t associate that particularly with autism/Asperger’s, either.

The only correllation I can think of is that minimal dental enamel will make one sensitive to food temperatures and hard textures, and that sensory issues are associated with autism/Asperger’s. But really, that’s just confusing cause and effect. Do people pull this stuff out of their butts or what?!

andrea