TOPLINE: 

Higher maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy are associated with lower odds of early childhood caries in offspring.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a prospective study of 4109 mother-offspring pairs at Zhoushan Maternal and Child Health Hospital in China, following pregnant women from August 2011 to May 2021 and their offspring until November 2022.
• Maternal plasma levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry during the first, second, and third trimesters.
• Children underwent dental examinations between ages 12 and 71 months to assess whether they had any early childhood caries, defined as decayed, missing, or filled teeth.

TAKEAWAY:

• In all, 960 children (23.4%) developed early-childhood caries.
• Compared with sufficient levels of at least 30 ng/mL, vitamin D insufficiency in the third trimester was significantly associated with increased odds of early-childhood caries (odds ratio [OR], 1.44; 95% CI, 1.10-1.88), as was severe deficiency of less than 12 ng/mL (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.02-2.58).
• Similar patterns were seen in the first and second trimesters, but the associations were not statistically significant.

IN PRACTICE: 

“We advocate integrating vitamin D screening and supplementation into routine prenatal care and highlighting the need for personalized strategies to ensure optimal vitamin D levels throughout the critical windows of fetal dental development,” the researchers reported.

SOURCE: 

Yunxian Yu, MD, PhD, with Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, was the corresponding author for the study, which was published online December 2 in JAMA Network Open.

LIMITATIONS: 

Vitamin D can affect tooth mineralization, but the exact mechanism by which maternal vitamin D levels might protect against dental cavities in children remains unknown, the authors wrote. The study did not account for children’s intake of vitamin D or sugar, family history of caries, or the use of fluoride toothpaste.

DISCLOSURES: 

The research was supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China and Zhejiang University.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.