Synadentia Holds Second Monthly Webinar on Links Between Dental and Neuro Health

On the 30th of May, 2026, Synadentia held its monthly lecture, the second of its kind. The topic was "Untreated Early Childhood Caries and Possible Links with Brain Development". The meeting started promptly at 5 pm, moderated by Adeniyi Damilola Joy. The citation of the speaker, Dr. Omowumi Femi-Akinlosotu, was read by Akinfolabi Akinrinola. 

Dr. Omowumi Femi-Akinlosotu is a Reader in the Department of Anatomy, University of Ibadan, with years of lecturing experience and a litany of Best Lecturer awards to prove it. She currently serves as the Sub-Dean, Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. She has a BDS degree, a Masters in Anatomy, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Neurobiology. Her research focuses on neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes, craniofacial and dental anatomy, and forensic anatomy, with more than 65 peer-reviewed journals. She is a recipient of national and international research grants.

She began her presentation by discussing Early Childhood Caries. She stated that caries, in layman's terms, would be a "hole in the tooth". Caries, as a demineralization disorder, has principal progression factors that include the acidity of the oral milieu and time. She emphasized that it takes about 3 years for a "hole" to form in the teeth. Also, the brain begins development at about 3 weeks, usually before the mother is aware of the pregnancy. Brain formation starts with a tube-like brain and continues far beyond the womb, with pruning and addition of neurons and synapses, continuous creation and expansion of networks. These processes are influenced by diet, socioeconomic conditions, and, interestingly, caries.

Quoting Dr. Akinlosotu, "How can a hole in a tooth affect brain development? As how? Where is it coming from?" She then set out to explain the different links between the pathological progression of early childhood caries and the development of the brain. While childhood caries are preventable, they remain an extremely common condition. When untreated, pain and tooth loss are possible short-term sequelae. In the long term, Early Childhood Caries affects the holistic development of a child, especially with respect to psychological development.

Some of the highlighted pathophysiological pathways are impaired mastication, chronic inflammation, sleep disruption, gut microbiome dysbiosis, and nutritional deficiencies. She highlighted connections such as:

- the relationship between mastication and the hippocampus, and how impaired mastication causes reduced hippocampal volume and changes that may be associated with disorders of spatial memory.

- Tooth loss and grey matter volume in brain areas governing motor, emotional, and cognitive functions.

- Inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-6, Tumor Necrosis factor alpha, and their potential for neuroinflammation after crossing the blood-brain barrier.

- Sleep disruption, leading to neurochemical disruption, impaired memory retrieval, reduced cognitive flexibility, and deficits in working memory.

- The gut-brain axis and the potential for a dysbiotic gut microbiome to cause neuroinflammation and disorders like depression, through connections such as the vagus nerve, and fatty acids produced by gut microbiota.

She then spoke about the pillars of preventing Early Childhood Caries: Daily fluoride use, reduced sugar intake, early dental visits, public health policies, and insurance coverage for childhood dental care. She also spoke about the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between dentists, caregivers, and paediatricians. She closed off by mentioning the limitations of the research supporting this area of study. She mentioned that current conclusions are largely drawn from expert consensus; as such, selection bias may skew understanding of the most affected children. Future research, as such, must prioritize longitudinal cohort studies, experimental designs, and clinical neurodevelopmental assessments to move from hypothesis to evidence. Evidence explaining the mechanistic links between ECC and brain development is limited. She also recognized her co-authors on the research paper.

A classmate of Dr. Akinlosotu, Professor Modupe Coker, was also present at the meeting. She spoke briefly, praising Dr. Akinlosotu’s research and lecture, and encouraging the attendees to think of further research into the gaps in research in that area. Questions were taken and the meeting ended shortly after.

Salami Wisdom