The ORIGINS Tooth Fairy needs your child's tooth!
As your children grow, our research grows with them! Now that your kids are starting to lose their teeth, ORIGINS is asking you to generously donate one – or even a whole bag if you’ve been saving them in a drawer - of your child’s teeth so our researchers can explore new areas of early childhood research.
We know losing baby teeth is a big milestone for your child and for you—so don’t worry, the tooth you donate doesn’t have to be the very first one they lose!
Analysis of baby teeth is a cutting-edge area of research that’s advanced to allow for more sophisticated analysis techniques, which provide a deepest insight into various aspects of your child’s health, including:
- Environmental exposures: Baby teeth can accumulate elements and minerals from the environment, such as lead, manganese, and other heavy metals. The analysis of these teeth can reveal exposure levels to environmental toxins during the time the teeth were forming, offering insights into potential risks for developmental issues or health problems
- Helping other kids: Teeth donated through ORIGINS, which haven’t been exposed to certain environmental factors, can be used in comparison studies to help understand the effects of these exposures in other communities - ultimately guiding better health protections for children everywhere.
- Nutritional status: Teeth can retain evidence of the nutrients a child was exposed to during their development and can tell us about diet and nutritional deficiencies a child may have experienced during their early years.
- Age determination: Just like rings in a tree trunk, baby teeth can display growth lines and layers. Analysing these layers can help in estimating a child's age at various developmental stages.
- Health conditions: Certain health conditions, like celiac disease or specific vitamin deficiencies, can manifest in the formation and structure of teeth. Analysing baby teeth might provide clues to such underlying health issues.
ORIGINS researchers treat every tooth with the highest level of care and respect, recognising the incredible value each one holds.
Your child’s contribution plays a vital role in advancing life-changing research that will help shape future health guidelines and inform policy - ensuring every child has the best chance to grow up healthy and flourish.
How to Donate
We’ve made it as easy and convenient as possible to donate your child’s tooth, simply:
- Fill out our expression of interest form and we’ll send you a pre-paid mailer collection kit containing and information sheet.
- Wrap the tooth in the thin white tissue provided in your collection kit.
- Place this inside the Ziplock bag, in the envelope and keep at room temperature.
- Complete the form on the back of the information sheet and place it inside the envelope along with the tooth.
- Return the tooth and this form to ORIGINS by either mail it to us using the pre-paid mail satchel or drop it off at the ORIGINS clinic in Edgewater (Shop 51, Joondalup Gate, 57 Joondalup Drive).
- When we receive the tooth, we’ll send you and your child a $10 e-voucher* as a thank you!
*A $10 e-voucher will be provided upon receipt of the first donated tooth only. Participants donating multiple teeth, including at different timepoints, will receive a single e-voucher per participant.