From Volume 51, Issue 8, September 2024 | Pages 557-560
Dentists have historically approached redheaded patients with some caution owing to their reputation for heightened bleeding, lower pain tolerance and increased requirement for anesthesia and pain relief. This article examines the evidence and dispells any misconceptions.
Hair colour is a genetic and physiologically complex phenotype. Approximately 2% of the global population possesses the red hair phenotype, with an increase to 6% in Scotland and 10% in Ireland.1
This phenotype is often characterized by fair skin, freckles and light-coloured eyes. This is attributable to the elevated red pigment, pheomelanin, and the reduced levels of the dark pigment, eumelanin. The genetic basis of red hair was identified in 1995 in association with the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) located on chromosome 16. Additionally, individuals with red hair tend to be sensitive to UV light.2,3 The MC1R gene-encoded protein is made up of 317 amino acids, and over 35 polymorphic sites on the gene have been identified, only a small number of which cause red hair. The underlying genotype for the red hair phenotype is the MC1R mutation.
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