Low levels of vitamin D in pregnant mothers associated with caries in children: Study

The results of the study are as follows:

· 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 and for the presence of caries in children.

· The risk of caries practically tripled.

The researchers concluded that, 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.

Reference:

Vitamin D, pregnancy and caries in children in the INMA-Asturias birth cohort by Suárez-Calleja C et. al published in the BMC Pediatrics.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-021-02857-z