Higher maternal vitamin D linked to lower childhood tooth decay
Mid-to-late pregnancy stands out as a window where higher of levels of supplement have strongest correlation.
Mothers with higher levels of vitamin D align with lower odds of early childhood caries in their children, according to a study.
The findings suggest that Vitamin D supplementation before conception or during pregnancy has the potential to lower the risk and severity of childhood tooth decay.
In the study, Vitamin D Levels During Pregnancy and Dental Caries in Offspring, published in JAMA Network Open, researchers tracked maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D across pregnancy to evaluate links with early childhood caries in children.
They analysed data from 4,109 mother-child pairs enrolled in the long-running Zhoushan Pregnant Women Cohort between 2011 and 2021.
Participants were followed from early pregnancy through their children’s early years, with maternal blood samples taken in all three trimesters to measure concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the standard marker of vitamin D status.
Children were monitored for signs of early childhood caries (ECC), including the number of decayed, missing or filled primary teeth.
Higher maternal vitamin D levels across pregnancy aligned with lower odds of early childhood caries in offspring, suggesting supplementation before conception or during pregnancy as a potential lever for lowering the risk and severity of childhood tooth decay.
The study said that mid-to-late pregnancy stood out as a window where higher vitamin D levels had the strongest correlation with fewer childhood caries and less decayed, missing, or filled primary teeth.