Long-Term Vegetarian Diet Linked to Changes in Dentin Properties: Study
Researchers have found in a new ex vivo study that individuals with long-term vegetarian dietary habits exhibited lower canal-adjacent dentin microhardness, reduced diametral tensile strength, and greater dentinal tubule irregularity compared with omnivores. These findings suggest that long-term dietary patterns may influence the structural and mechanical characteristics of dentin, contributing to natural variations in tooth properties.
However, the clinical relevance of these observed differences remains unclear. Further research is needed to determine whether these changes affect dental health, treatment outcomes, or susceptibility to tooth damage in real-world clinical settings. Root dentin is essential in shaping, bonding, and long-term stability. Since mineralized tissues depend on adequate calcium, phosphate, and vitamin intake, this study investigated whether long-term vegetarian dietary patterns are associated with changes in root dentin microstructure and mechanical properties compared to omnivores.
Twenty-four extracted human teeth were assigned to vegetarian (VEG) or omnivore (OMNI) groups based on ≥3-year dietary history. Mid-root dentin discs were prepared for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to quantify tubule circularity and aspect ratio, Vickers microhardness testing at 100, 300, and 500 μm from the canal surface, and diametral tensile strength (DTS) testing. Microhardness was analyzed with linear mixed-effects models, and DTS and morphology were compared using independent-samples t-tests. Pearson correlations evaluated relationships between tubule morphology and mechanical properties.
VEG dentin exhibited significantly greater tubule irregularity, with lower circularity and higher aspect ratio than OMNI (p < 0.001). Microhardness increased with depth in both groups. However, VEG values were significantly lower at 100 and 300 μm (p < 0.01), converging with OMNI only at 500 μm. DTS was also significantly lower in VEG (14.46 ± 1.89 MPa) compared with OMNI (18.39 ± 1.32 MPa) (p < 0.001). Associations between tubule morphology and mechanical properties were moderate, with significant correlations observed for circularity and microhardness, circularity and DTS, and aspect ratio and microhardness.
Within the limitations of this ex vivo study, long-term vegetarian status was associated with lower canal-adjacent dentin microhardness, reduced diametral tensile strength, and greater dentin tubule irregularity compared to omnivores. These differences suggest that dietary patterns may contribute to natural variation in dentin structure and mechanics. However, the clinical significance of these associations remains uncertain.
Reference:
Saghiri M, Chien C, Kamyabi H. Vegetarian Diet and the Mechanics of Root Canal Dentin: Surface Hardness, SEM-Quantified Tubule Irregularity, and Diametral Tensile Strength. Journal of Endodontics, 2026; 0
Keywords:
Long-Term, Vegetarian, Diet, Linked, Changes, Dentin Properties, Study, Saghiri M, Chien C, Kamyabi H, Vegetarian Diet
