Dental

119 Dental items

Some Dental studies

• Vitamin D cut dental caries in half 80 years ago – meta-analysis 2013 80 years ago
• Caries (tooth decay) and Vitamin D - 23+ studies
• Dental Implants helped by Vitamin D - many studies
• Periodontitis reduced by Vitamin D - many studies
  • Periodontal Disease and Vitamin D - interview and transcript - GRH, Grant July 2023
  • Severe periodontitis is half as likely at 60 ng of vitamin D – Sept 2021
  • Vitamin D may provide the most peridontal benefits of all nutraceuticals – May 2018
• Risk of Oral Surgery reduced by Vitamin D – scoping review Nov 2021
• Some Dental Malocclusions 5X more likely if low vitamin D – June 2021
• Grinding teeth while sleeping (sleep bruxism) 6 X more likely if low vitamin D – Jan 2021
• Early tooth decay 1.9 X more likely if a poor Vitamin D receptor – July 2017
• 7 Intervention AND Dental studies
• 20 items listed in BOTH Dental and Infant or Child
• 7 listed in BOTH Dental and Vitamin D Receptor

Note: 25% of seniors (over age 65) have no natural teeth.
Note: Black and senior smokers (both of who have lower levels of vitamin D) have even fewer teeth left.

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Summary of page by Chat-GPT Feb 2025

Vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Research links vitamin D deficiency to problems like tooth decay and gum disease, while sufficient vitamin D (through sunlight or supplements) is associated with improved oral health.

Role of Vitamin D in Dental Health
Vitamin D is crucial for calcium absorption and bone metabolism, which directly affects teeth and jawbone health. It enables proper bone formation and tooth mineralization, especially during growth. Severe vitamin D deficiency in children can lead to defective tooth development and weak enamel/dentin formation. In adults, vitamin D helps maintain the strength of existing teeth and the bone that supports them. Additionally, vitamin D has immunomodulatory effects in the oral cavity – it can promote antibacterial responses and reduce inflammation in gum tissues. This means adequate vitamin D may help the body fend off oral bacteria and lower the inflammatory processes that cause gingivitis and periodontitis.

Effects on Teeth (Cavities)
One key area of dental health influenced by vitamin D is dental caries (tooth decay). A long-recognized connection exists: a meta-analysis of clinical trials from ~80 years ago found that vitamin D supplementation could cut cavity incidence roughly in half. The following findings summarize how vitamin D status affects cavities:

• Reduced Caries with Vitamin D: Taking vitamin D supplements has been associated with about a 47% reduction in the rate of dental caries in children. This suggests vitamin D has a significant protective effect against cavities in younger populations.
• Age Dependency: The caries-preventive benefit of vitamin D was not observed in older adolescents. Studies noted no significant effect on cavities in individuals over 13 years old (especially girls), implying that vitamin D’s impact might be most crucial during early tooth development and childhood.
• Seasonal Effect: Dental caries tend to be more common in late winter and early spring, which coincides with the yearly low point of vitamin D levels in many people. This seasonal pattern supports the idea that lower vitamin D (due to reduced sun exposure in winter) correlates with higher risk of tooth decay.
• Deficiency and Early Childhood Caries: Children suffering from severe early childhood caries (ECC) have been found to have lower vitamin D levels compared to cavity-free children. In other words, vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent in kids with extensive tooth decay.
• Maternal Vitamin D and Kids’ Teeth: A mother’s vitamin D status during pregnancy can influence her child’s dental health. Mothers with low vitamin D levels are more likely to have children who develop dental caries. This highlights the importance of adequate vitamin D during pregnancy for proper fetal tooth development.
• Preventive Supplementation: Overall, ensuring sufficient vitamin D may help reduce the risk of developing dental caries. The page notes that vitamin D supplementation is a promising measure to lower cavity risk, complementing good oral hygiene and diet in cavity prevention.

Several studies support these points. For instance, a 2013 review of 24 controlled trials concluded vitamin D was a “promising preventative agent” against tooth decay. More recent reviews and meta-analyses have consistently found that children with higher vitamin D levels (or intake) experience significantly fewer cavities than those who are deficient. Maintaining adequate vitamin D from infancy onward – via safe sun exposure, diet, or supplements – appears to strengthen teeth and make them more resistant to decay.

Effects on Gums (Periodontal Health)
Vitamin D status also affects periodontal health (the health of gums and the structures supporting teeth). Emerging research links low vitamin D to an increased risk of gum diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis, while adequate vitamin D is associated with healthier gums. Key findings include:

• Lower Gum Disease with Higher Vitamin D: People with high vitamin D levels tend to have better gum health. Notably, one study found that severe periodontitis was about half as likely in individuals with vitamin D levels around 60 ng/mL (high-normal range) compared to those with lower levels. This suggests that optimal vitamin D status can be protective against advanced gum disease.
• Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Risk: Conversely, vitamin D deficiency correlates with greater incidence and severity of gum disease. Several studies have observed that low vitamin D levels are associated with higher risk of periodontitis. In fact, genetic factors can play a role: individuals with certain vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene variants (which impair vitamin D’s action) show more periodontal problems. For example, smokers who had a poor-functioning VDR were reported to have up to a 9.6-fold higher risk of severe chronic periodontitis – a dramatic increase illustrating how lack of vitamin D activity exacerbates gum disease, especially when combined with other risk factors like smoking.
• Anti-Inflammatory Effects: Vitamin D’s ability to modulate inflammation may explain these benefits for gums. In periodontal disease, vitamin D can help inhibit inflammatory mediators and even aid the immune system in fighting oral bacteria. Research suggests that vitamin D may promote the clearance of P. gingivalis (a key gum-disease bacterium) and reduce gingival inflammation via its anti-inflammatory actions. This means sufficient vitamin D could lead to less redness, swelling, and bleeding in the gums by keeping the immune response in balance.
• Intervention Studies: Clinical studies indicate that improving vitamin D intake can positively impact gum health. A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated that supplementing with high-dose vitamin D (for example, 60,000 IU weekly for 8 weeks) significantly reduced chronic periodontitis severity. Another trial and other reports noted improvements in overall dental health (including gums) when patients received moderate daily doses of vitamin D (around 800–1000 IU daily). Additionally, a 2023 RCT found that vitamin D supplementation substantially reduced gum inflammation (gingivitis) in participants.

In summary, healthy vitamin D levels appear to support gum integrity and reduce the occurrence and severity of periodontal disease. Adequate vitamin D helps preserve the bone that anchors teeth and boosts the immune defenses in gum tissue, thereby helping to prevent or mitigate gum infections.

Recommendations
The findings suggest several practical recommendations:

• Ensure Adequate Vitamin D Intake: Maintain sufficient vitamin D levels through sunlight, diet, or supplements.
• Target High-Risk Groups: Pregnant women should ensure adequate vitamin D, as low maternal vitamin D increases the child’s risk of cavities. Children, elderly individuals, and smokers should also be mindful of their vitamin D intake.
• Optimize Levels for Gum Health: Periodontal benefits were noted at higher vitamin D levels (~60 ng/mL), though simply avoiding deficiency is crucial.
• Integrate with Dental Care: Dentists and patients should consider vitamin D as part of oral health maintenance, especially for healing after dental surgeries or treating gum disease.

In conclusion, maintaining good vitamin D status is an important strategy for keeping teeth and gums healthy. Dental professionals and individuals alike are encouraged to consider vitamin D as part of oral health maintenance, alongside brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits. Keeping vitamin D levels in the optimal range can help ensure strong teeth, fewer cavities, and healthier gums throughout life.

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7 Intervention AND Dental studies

20 items listed in BOTH Dental and Infant or Child

7 listed in BOTH Dental and Vitamin D Receptor

•  Dental Caries 1.87 X more likely if poor TT VDR - meta-analysis - Oct 2024
•  Dental Caries and VDR - meta-analysis April 2021
  • "The heritability of dental caries varies between 40 and 60% "

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Review of Dental Caries at Vitamin D Council (Sept 2014) includes the following

• Taking vitamin D supplements resulted in a 47% reduced rate of dental caries.
• Taking vitamin D supplements had no effect on caries in those older than 13 years old, especially in girls.
• Dental caries are more common in late winter and early spring, which is when vitamin D levels tend to be lower.
• Children with severe ECC have lower vitamin D levels compared to children without caries.
• Mothers with low vitamin D levels are more likely to give birth to children who develop dental caries.
• Vitamin D supplementation may help reduce the risk of developing dental caries.

See also: VDR and gingivalis - Jan 2015.pdf

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VitaminDWiki pages containing PERIODONTITIS in title (28+ as of Oct 2024)

VitaminDWiki pages containing PERIODONTITIS in title

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119 Dental articles in VitaminDWiki

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Founder had used charcoal, clay and Vitamin D on his teeth, switched to water pick in 2021

I augment my teeth brushing about 10 times a month with charcoal, Bentonite clay, and Vitamin D mixture (which I make)
The gum next to one tooth was inflamed recently.
Inflammation disappeared after applying Vitamin D oil twice a day for just 2 days
   Henry Lahore, Founder of VitaminDWiki - July 2019

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Caries 3.5X more likely at age 8 if <20n/ml of vitamin D (Spain) - Sept 2021

Vitamin D, pregnancy and caries in children in the INMA-Asturias birth cohort
BMC Pediatr. 2021 Sep 3;21(1):380. doi: 10.1186/s12887-021-02857-z.
Claudia Suárez-Calleja 1, Jaime Aza-Morera 2, Tania Iglesias-Cabo 3, Adonina Tardón 4
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

Results: The results indicate a significant association between caries and correct or incorrect brushing technique. With incorrect brushing technique, the prevalence of caries was 48.89%, but this dropped to 22.38% with correct brushing technique. An association was also found between tooth decay and frequency of sugar intake. The prevalence of caries was 24.54% with occasional sugar intake, but this rose to 56% with regular sugar intake. On the other hand, levels < 20 ng/ml in both mother and child at 8 years of age would also be risk factors (ORgest = 2.51(1.01-6.36) and OR 8 years = 3.45 (1.14-11.01)) for the presence of caries in children. The risk of caries practically tripled where 25(OH) D values were < 20 ng/ml.

Conclusions: Although incorrect brushing technique and regular sugar consumption was found to be the main cause of caries in the children, the low concentrations of vitamin D in the blood of the pregnant mothers may have magnified this correlation, indicating that the monitoring of vitamin D levels during pregnancy should be included in antenatal programmes. It is particularly striking that 50% of the children were deficient in vitamin D at the age of 4, and that dental floss was practically absent from regular cleaning routines.

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Misc

 Download Oral Probiotics article from VitaminDWiki
Life Extension Foundation Jan 2016 - Appears that 1 oral probiotic pill will provide good oral bacteria for 2 months. Nothing about vitamin D

 Download Orthodonics- 2018 PDF from VitaminDWiki
Vitamin D and orthodontics: an insight review, Almoammar K

 Download Role of Vitamin D in Dental Health - 2019 from VitaminDWiki
Nice review for Dentists

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Mouth Microbiome is probably important - Aug, 2021

Why People Who Brush Still Get Cavities

• "Our dental health changed with our diets. Ancient humans and their hominin ancestors really didn’t have much of a problem with cavities."
• "Turns out, there are specific strains of bacteria — streptococcus mutans, in particular — that are more common in mouths with cavities"
• “You can take an animal that naturally develops cavities and feed it a high-sugar diet, and it will get cavities. And if you house it with animals that seem to be naturally resistant to cavities, they will then develop cavities,” he said. Cavities, in other words, are a transmissible, infectious disease.
• "What’s more, Burne told me, research has shown that a caregiver’s susceptibility to cavities — be it a parent or a day care provider — can predict how likely a kid is to get cavities."

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In the future tooth decay might be treated with stem cells rather than fillings

Scientists want to fix tooth decay with stem cells Economist Aug 2023
 PDF