Recent research from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Catholic University of Valencia revealed that the modern diet, rich in ultra-processed foods, affects jaw growth in young children. According to the study, this can lead to issues such as poor dental health and reduced jaw size.
The study monitored the eating habits, dental structures, and skull shapes of 25 children aged three to five years. Researchers found that those who consumed softer foods were more likely to have protruding teeth, commonly known as buck teeth, and lacked natural gaps between their teeth, which are necessary for the growth of larger adult teeth. This lack of spacing can result in dental crowding and misalignment as the children grow older.
"Diets based on ultra-processed foods, which are soft and require minimal effort to chew, negatively affect the development of the jaws," said Dr. Laura Marques Martinez, according to The Sun. Marques Martinez emphasized the crucial role of chewing in jaw development, stating, "Chewing plays a crucial role in the proper development of the jaws as it stimulates bone growth, strengthens facial muscles, and promotes proper dental alignment."
"Chewing solid and fibrous foods, such as fruits, vegetables, or natural proteins, exercises the jaws, helping to prevent issues like malocclusion (misalignment of teeth) and deficiencies in the size and shape of dental arches," she added.
"These foods do not sufficiently stimulate the masticatory muscles and bones, can lead to underdeveloped bony structures, and increase the risk of malocclusion and respiratory problems," Martinez said, according to The Telegraph.
These findings align with concerns raised by health experts about the impact of ultra-processed foods on children's health. "The strongest current theory about why the jaws have been shrinking so rapidly is that we're feeding our kids baby food really for the whole of their lives—so that they just don’t develop the jaw muscles or the size of the jaw, and you aren’t really adapted for chewing," commented Professor Tim Spector, a leading health scientist, according to The Telegraph.
Spector highlighted the consequences of this trend, saying, "As a result, we're seeing a huge rise in orthodontic problems in children—a massive use of braces, and far more crooked teeth." He noted that the issue has been accelerating over the past two decades, adding, "We've been going through this epidemic of jaw shrinkage for a few hundred years but it has really accelerated over the last two decades."
Ultra-processed foods are prevalent in modern diets. Researchers have highlighted unhealthy eating habits in the UK, with ultra-processed foods accounting for nearly 60% of British diets. Children as young as seven get 59% of their calories from these foods, and adolescents consume nearly 70% of their daily calories from ultra-processed products.
Common ultra-processed foods include items such as crisps, sweets, supermarket white bread, flavored yogurts, and ready-made meals. Children are often treated to these foods, which are high in calories, sugar, and salt, and loaded with additives not typically found in home cooking.
Historical studies support the link between diet and jaw development. An earlier study from the University of Kent found that many common orthodontic problems experienced by people in industrialized nations were due to "their soft modern diet causing the jaw to grow too short and small relative to the size of their teeth."
Research by Dr. Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel concluded that lower jaw shape, and to some extent the shape of the upper palate, was related to dietary behavior. "It appears that a transition to softer diets disrupts the signalling system that determines appropriate orofacial structure," stated Stanford University researchers.
Spector emphasized that while much of the debate around ultra-processed foods focuses on their chemical content, not enough attention is paid to their soft texture. "Amid the debate about UPFs, a lot of discussion focuses on the chemicals contained within them, with not enough attention paid to the soft texture of foods," he said. "This is just another sign of how Western countries like the UK and the US have succumbed to this wave of soft, ultra-processed foods that is now the main diet of children, so many of whom are never really having hard proper foods," he said.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.