Getting a dentist appointment these days is not easy, let alone the money you have to spend to fix issues. Tooth decay is one of the most common dental problems that affects children and adults alike. But the treatment does not have to cost you an arm and a leg. What if tooth decay could be prevented with a simple, affordable nutrient? A study has found a link between tooth decay and vitamin deficiency. A review of historical clinical trials found that a certain vitamin lowers the rate of tooth decay. The study is published in Nutrition Reviews.
Link between tooth decay and vitamin D
The review found that vitamin D was linked with a 50 percent reduction in the incidence of dental caries. To understand the link between vitamin D and tooth decay, the researchers reviewed 24 controlled clinical trials, spanning the 1920s to the 1980s, on approximately 3,000 children in several countries. These trials pointed out that vitamin D was associated with an approximately 50 percent reduction in the incidence of tooth decay.“My main goal was to summarize the clinical trial database so that we could take a fresh look at this vitamin D question,” Dr. Philippe Hujoel of the University of Washington, who conducted the review, said.
What is vitamin D
Vitamin D, also known as the ‘sunshine vitamin,’ is an essential nutrient. It is a fat-soluble nutrient that plays a crucial role in the body. From maintaining bone health, immune function, and mood regulation, vitamin D helps in many vital functions. Our body can naturally produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. When the skin is exposed to sunlight, it naturally makes vitamin D from cholesterol. The sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays interact with the cholesterol in skin cells and trigger the process of vitamin D synthesis. You can also get this nutrient from foods such as fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), egg yolks, and fortified foods (milk, orange juice).
Vitamin D’s role in preventing caries
(Pic courtesy: iStock)
Though vitamin D’s role in supporting bone health has not been disputed, there has been a significant disagreement over its role in preventing caries, Hujoel noted. In 1950, the American Medical Association and the US National Research Council concluded that vitamin D was beneficial in managing dental caries. Later in 1989, the National Research Council, despite new evidence supporting vitamin D’s caries-fighting benefits, called the issue ‘unresolved.’“Such inconsistent conclusions by different organizations do not make much sense from an evidence-based perspective,” Hujoel said. The trials the team reviewed had increased vitamin D levels in children through UV radiation or by diet (cod liver oil or other products containing the vitamin). The trials they reviewed were conducted in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Austria, New Zealand, and Sweden, and were held in institutional settings, schools, medical and dental practices, or hospitals. The participants were children or young adults between the ages of 2 and 16 years, with a weighted mean age of 10 years.
The findings from the University of Washington reaffirm the importance of vitamin D for dental health. Children who are vitamin D deficient have poor and delayed teeth eruption and are prone to dental caries,” Dr. Michael Hollick, professor of medicine at the Boston University Medical Center said. Studies have also found that Vitamin D deficiency is linked to dental caries in young children. “Whether this is more than just a coincidence is open to debate. In the meantime, pregnant women or young mothers can do little harm by realizing that vitamin D is essential to their offspring’s health. Vitamin D does lead to teeth and bones that are better mineralized,” Hujoel said. “One has to be careful with the interpretation of this systematic review. The trials had weaknesses which could have biased the result, and most of the trial participants lived in an era that differs profoundly from today’s environment,” Hujoel added.
