Vitamin D is crucial for the development of infants’ oral cavity

Vitamin D deficiency impairs bone mineralization, which can lead to diseases such as osteomalacia and osteoporosis

Researchers at the University of Manitoba in Canada have found that low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy may lead to damage to tooth enamel and tooth decay in early childhood. The study, which was recently presented at the International Association for Dental Research’s Annual Congress in Toronto, analyzed the vitamin D levels of 206 women in the second trimester of pregnancy.

The researchers also examined 135 children and found that 21.6% of them had enamel damage, and 33.6% showed signs of tooth decay in early childhood. Mothers of infants with enamel damage had lower (though not significantly) mean vitamin D levels during pregnancy than mothers of infants without enamel damage. Only 21 or 10.5% of the women in the study had adequate levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D, which is chemically related to steroids, is found in milk, egg yolks, and fatty fish, or is produced by activating sterols through ultraviolet radiation. Deficiency results in impaired bone mineralization, which causes soft bone diseases such as osteomalacia or osteoporosis. Recent research has shown that vitamin D deficiency is also associated with colon and breast cancer.