Prospective study of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin d and tooth loss

Vitamin d deficiency and oral diseases (periodontitis,caries,and tooth loss) are highly prevalent in germany. previous studies suggested that vitamin d might be a modifiable and protective factor for periodontitis,caries,and tooth loss. however,prospective studies investigating such associations are limited. we explored the association between the concentration of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin d (25ohd) and incidence of tooth loss,progression of clinical attachment loss (cal) ≥ 3 mm,and progression of restorative and caries status in a population-based longitudinal study. we analyzed data from 1,904 participants from the study of health in pomerania with a five-year follow-up. generalized estimating equation models were applied to evaluate tooth-specific associations between serum 25ohd and incidence of tooth loss,progression of cal ≥ 3 mm,and progression of restorative and caries status. age,sex,education,smoking status,alcohol drinking,waist circumference,dental visit frequency,reasons of dental visit,vitamin d or calcium supplements,and season of blood draw were considered as confounders. serum 25ohd was inversely associated with incidence of tooth loss. a significant dose-response relationship (p = .0022) was observed across the quintiles of serum 25ohd. after adjusting for multiple confounders,each 10-μg/l increase of serum 25ohd was associated with a 13% decreased risk of tooth loss (risk ratio: 0.87; 95% confidence interval: 0.79,0.96). the association was attenuated for changes of cal ≥ 3 mm when adjusting for multiple confounders. no significant association was found between serum 25ohd and caries progression. vitamin d might be a protective factor for tooth loss. the effect might partially be mediated by its effect on periodontitis. © international & american associations for dental research.