Posted on 08/08/2009 9:34:39 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Nobody likes going to the dentist, but redheads may have good reason.
A growing body of research shows that people with red hair need larger doses of anesthesia and often are resistant to local pain blockers like Novocaine. As a result, redheads tend to be particularly nervous about dental procedures and are twice as likely to avoid going to the dentist as people with other hair colors, according to new research published in The Journal of the American Dental Association.
Researchers believe redheads are more sensitive to pain because of a mutation in a gene that affects hair color. In people with brown, black and blond hair, the gene, for the melanocortin-1 receptor, produces melanin. But a mutation in the MC1R gene results in the production of a substance called pheomelanin that results in red hair and fair skin.
The MC1R gene belongs to a family of receptors that include pain receptors in the brain, and as a result, a mutation in the gene appears to influence the body’s sensitivity to pain. A 2004 study showed that redheads require, on average, about 20 percent more general anesthesia than people with dark hair or blond coloring. And in 2005, researchers found that redheads are more resistant to the effects of local anesthesia, such as the numbing drugs used by dentists.
The mutation in the MC1R gene also occurs in brunettes, although it’s less common. In the latest study, the researchers tested for the MC1R gene variant, finding it in 65 of 67 redheads and in 20 of 77 people with brown or black hair. The participants were surveyed about dental-care anxiety, fear of dental pain and whether they avoid going to the dentist.
(Excerpt) Read more at well.blogs.nytimes.com ...
Maybe it’s because we have no choice but to have a higher tolerance since most medical professionals don’t know how to deal with us! LOL!
You’re lucky you got a red-haired child. I also am married to brownhaired fellow; 2 kids have brown hair and brown eyes; other kid blond and blue-eyed. Where the heck did that come from? She claims she isn’t related. We do joke that she was born in New Mexico so maybe part alien. However, she’s got two grandpa’s with blue eyes. And her dad’s feet. I didn’t get a redheaded baby. Maybe one day, I’ll get a red-headed grandchild.
Note: this topic is from 8/08/2009. Thanks nickcarraway.
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