This ain't the kind of questionnaire that asks how many quarters you got for putting your tiny, discolored molar under a pillow. It's actually something far more troubling.

The so-called "Baby Tooth Survey" was a scientific study begun in the 1950s that lasted until 1970. The study was conducted by Louise and Eric Reiss, who investigated the accumulation of radiation in the baby teeth of children born in the era of the atmospheric nuclear test. Specifically, they searched for the presence of a radioactive isotope called strontium 90, which is easily absorbed into human bones via water and milk.

In the early years of the baby boom, baby teeth were an abundant resource and the easiest human bones to access. The crack husband-and-wife team collected thousands of baby teeth from schools around St. Louis and tested them for strontium 90.

Much to everyone's dismay, the radioactive isotope was present in the children's teeth at extremely high levels, with the teeth of children born later increasing contaminated.

The first results of the Baby Tooth Survey were made public in 1961 and are credited with influencing President John F. Kennedy's decision to ratify the PTBT.