Vitamin D, periodontal disease, and tooth loss

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3> Vitamin D is a fat-soluble substance that can be introduced into the body through different sources. Many individuals are found to be deficient, causing them to lose anti-inflammatory properties. <h3>Objective</h3> To compare the prevalence of periodontal disease and tooth loss between patients who were and who were not taking vitamin D supplements. <h3>Study Design</h3> The study was a retrospective review, studying patient records, radiographs, and vitamin D status. A total of 835 full mouth series of intraoral radiographs were used to visualize alveolar bone levels. Patients were classified as having no, mild, moderate, or severe marginal periodontitis based on probing depths and alveolar bone loss as seen on the radiographs. The corresponding patient records were also reviewed to record the age, gender, periodontal pocket depths, tooth loss, and vitamin D status of the participants. Patients were excluded from this subject pool when ages were outside the range of 30 to 75 years, periodontal charting was recorded as PSR scores, and radiographs were selected from a radiology data base between years 2013 and 2021. <h3>Results</h3> Binary logistic regression showed that Vitamin D (p= 0.008), number of missing teeth (p= 0.001), and age (p= 0.001) were the significantly associated with periodontal disease. Bone changes and gender variables were not significant in the regression model. People who consumed vitamin D were less likely (0.57 times the odds) to have periodontal disease than those who did not consume vitamin D. A 1-unit increase in the number of missing teeth and age were associated with a 11% and 3% increase in the incidence of periodontal disease, respectively. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Vitamin D may benefit in the prevention of periodontal disease due to its direct effect on bone metabolism and its anti-inflammatory properties. <b>Statement of Ethical Review</b> Ethical review was sought and study was exempted from ethical review