Triclosan (2,4,4′-trichloro-2′-hydroxy-diphenyl ether, TCS) is widely used in personal care, household, veterinary and industrial products. It was considered as a potential male reproductive toxicant in previous in vitro and in vivo studies. However, evidence from human studies is scarce. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between TCS exposure and semen quality. We measured urinary TCS concentrations in 471 men recruited from a male reproductive health clinic. TCS was detected in 96.7% of urine samples, with a median concentration of 0.97 ng (mg·creatinine)⁻¹ (interquartile range, 0.41–2.95 ng (mg·creatinine)⁻¹). A multiple linear regression analysis showed a negative association between natural logarithm (Ln) transformed TCS concentration (Ln-TCS) and Ln transformed number of forward moving sperms (adjusted coefficient β = −0.17; 95% confidence interval (CI) (−0.32, −0.02). Furthermore, among those with the lowest tertile of TCS level, Ln-TCS was negatively associated with the number of forward moving sperms (β = −0.35; 95% CI (−0.68, −0.03)), percentage of sperms with normal morphology (β = −1.64; 95% CI (−3.05, −0.23)), as well as number of normal morphological sperms, sperm concentration and count. Our findings suggest that the adverse effect of TCS on semen quality is modest at the environment-relevant dose in humans. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.

The aim of the present study was to obtain the prevalence of malocclusions in preschool children in Shanghai, China. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2335 children aged 3–5 years from kindergartens. Several occlusal parameters were clinically assessed, including second deciduous molar terminal plane, canine relationship, degree of overjet and overbite, anterior and posterior crossbite, and the presence or absence of physiologic spaces and crowding. All parents of subjects were asked to fill in the oral health knowledge questionnaires. The prevalence of malocclusion in primary dentition in Shanghai was 83.9%, and no significant differences were found in genders. Data showed that the prevalence of deep overbite (63.7%) was the highest in children with malocclusion, followed by deep overjet (33.9%), midline deviation (26.6%), anterior crossbite (8.0%) and anterior crowding (6.5%). The results revealed a high prevalence of malocclusion in primary dentition in children aged 3–5 years old of Shanghai, especially in vertical anomalies. The need for preventive orthodontic therapy is extremely desired and oral health education about malocclusion should be strengthened.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants with potential health risks. While the association between PFAS and dental health is under-researched, this study aims to address this gap by investigating prenatal PFAS exposure in relation to Developmental Defects of Enamel (DDE) and dental caries in children. This study included 1,136 children from the Shanghai Birth Cohort, with maternal blood samples collected during early pregnancy to measure concentrations of 10 PFAS compounds. Oral health outcomes, assessed when the children were 4 years old, included the prevalence of DDE and dental caries, as well as DDE tooth count and the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) index. Logistic regression and zero-inflated negative binomial regression were used to examine associations between individual PFAS compounds and oral health outcomes. Restricted Cubic Splines (RCS) were used to explore potential nonlinear associations. Additionally, Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS), and Quantile G-Computation (QGC) were employed to assess the joint effects of PFAS mixtures on the outcomes. Individual PFAS compounds, particularly perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) and perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), exhibited heterogeneous associations with DDE prevalence. PFBS was linked to an increased risk of DDE (OR: 1.37; 95%CI: 1.05, 1.80), while PFHpA showed a protective effect (OR: 0.72; 95%CI: 0.54, 0.97). No significant associations were observed between individual PFAS compounds and dental caries outcomes. Additionally, the study found a lack of significant associations between PFAS mixtures and the prevalence of DDE or dental caries, as well as the absence of any marked effects on DDE tooth count or dmft. Although no overall association was observed between PFAS mixtures and oral health outcomes, certain short-chain PFAS compounds, such as PFBS and PFHpA, demonstrated distinct effects on enamel defects. Further research is warranted to clarify the biological mechanisms underlying these associations and to examine the role of PFAS exposure in other populations.

Triclosan (2,4,4′-trichloro-2′-hydroxy-diphenyl ether, TCS) is widely used in personal care and household products. It is ubiquitous across the ecosystem nowadays. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested the possible adverse effects of TCS on male reproductive health. However, little research has been done on human beings, especially in eastern countries. To assess the effects of TCS exposure on male fecundity, we recruited couples who planned to conceive and went to the preconception care clinics for physical examination in Shanghai, China. TCS was quantified in male urine samples collected at enrollment. For this study, 443 couples were included in the cohort, and 74.7% of couples (n = 331) were prospectively followed 12 months later. The outcomes of interest included the pregnancy status of their wives and time to pregnancy. Elevated male urinary TCS concentrations were found to be associated with diminished fecundability (fecundability odds ratio (FOR) 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62–0.97). The risk of infertility significantly increased (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1–2.6) as TCS levels elevated. Besides, we divided TCS concentration into tertiles a priori, and there tended to be a dose-response pattern in both analyses. Our findings suggest that environmental exposure to TCS may have an adverse impact on male fecundity.

Objective: To investigate the disparity in dental caries between native and migrant children in Shanghai, China.Methods: Between 2013 and 2015, a random cluster sample of native and migrant children aged 5, 9, 12 and 15 years was collected from each district in Shanghai. Oral examination was performed following the World Health Organization (WHO) method, and findings were reported as decayed‐missing‐filled teeth of primary dentition (dmft) and permanent dentition (DMFT).Results: A total of 10 150 children were examined, and 33.6% of them were migrants. Migrant children had a higher prevalence of deciduous caries than native children (the 5‐year‐old age group, 67.8% vs 63.0%, P = 0.024; the 9‐year‐old age group, 75.9% vs 66.1%, P < 0.001), and higher dmft values were found in migrant children. But with respect to permanent teeth, no statistical differences were found between the two groups in caries prevalence or DMFT. After controlling for potential confounders by logistic regression, migrant children showed a higher risk of deciduous caries (odds ratio 1.42, 95% confidence interval 1.25‐1.61, P < 0.001) but not of permanent caries. Migrant children exhibited relatively lower deciduous Restorative Care Index (RCI). However, 9‐ and 15‐year‐old migrant children had a higher permanent RCI than their native counterparts.Conclusions: Dental caries prevalence in migrant children was higher in the deciduous teeth but not in the permanent teeth compared to that in their native counterparts. School‐based dental public health services may contribute to reducing the disparity in dental health status between migrant and native children.

Background/Objectives: Current approaches to monitoring obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk primarily focus on structural or functional abnormalities, often neglecting systemic metabolic and physiological factors. Resource-intensive methods, such as polysomnography (PSG), limit their routine applicability. This study aimed to evaluate composite nutritional-inflammatory indices derived from routine blood markers to identify feasible indices for OSA management and explore their association with OSA risk. Methods: Data from 9622 adults in the NHANES (2015–2020) and GWAS datasets were analyzed using logistic regression, restricted cubic splines, machine learning, and Mendelian randomization (MR). These techniques were employed to identify nutritional-inflammatory indices associated with OSA risk. Random forest modeling identified body mass index (BMI) and albumin (ALB) as key components of the advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI). Causal relationships between ALI components and OSA were validated using MR. Results: ALI was significantly associated with OSA, with individuals in the highest ALI tertile exhibiting a 59% higher likelihood of OSA (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.38–1.84; p < 0.001). BMI and ALB were identified as key contributors to ALI and confirmed as causal risk factors for OSA (BMI: OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.80–2.02; ALB: OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.04–1.19). Age, gender, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were also significant predictors. Conclusions: This study identifies ALI as a potential composite index for assessing OSA risk. Integrating statistical modeling, machine learning, and causal inference techniques highlights the utility of nutritional-inflammatory indices in improving OSA monitoring and management in clinical practice.