An historical overview of the role of solar UVB and vitamin D

in reducing the risk of dental caries and periodontal disease

A presentation at IAOMT spring conference September 22, 2012 Minneapolis, MN

{IAOMT = International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology}

by William B. Grant, Ph.D.

Sample slide: Many more dental problems in areas with low vitamin D

The consensus of scientific understanding appears to be:

Vitamin D deficiency in serum calcidiol levels <20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L)

Insufficiency in the range: 20-32 ng/mL

Gray area – almost sufficient 32-40 ng/mL

Optimal in the range: 40-80 ng/mL

Normal in sunny countries: 54-90 ng/mL

Vitamin D excess: >100 ng/mL

PDF is attached at the bottom of this page

See also VitaminDWiki

• All items in category Dental and Vitamin D items

• Children with severe caries were 2X more likely to have inadequate vitamin D – July 2012

• More sunshine: more teeth (1862), fewer cavities (1934) – Oct 2011

• Hypothesis: Periodontal disease is related to vitamin D – 2010 Grant

• peridontal disease and latitude - Grant2010.pdf

• Teeth and vitamin D 2009 book

  • On pages 105-107, she describes how teeth health was known since the 1930's to be improved with vitamin D, sunshine, and full spectrum bulbs in classrooms.

• UVB and Vitamin D might decrease dental caries better than fluoride– July 2011

• Vitamin Deficiency Underlies Tooth Decay – 2009 and 1931

• Even 1,000 IU vitamin D reduced periodontitis – Jan 2011

See also web

• The Vitamin that is Better than Fluoride in Reducing Cavities Mercola Oct 2011
  • Also mentions possible problem with Fluoride locking up Magnesium needed for healthy bone and teeth
• Clinical Trial: Dose-dependent Anti-inflammatory Effects of Vitamin D in a Human Gingivitis Model
  • including 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily for 12 weeks