Be true to your teeth and they won’t be false to you! Here is more research on dental health, sunlight and vitamin D.

Recent research has found that pregnant women who are deficient in vitamin D give birth to children whose tooth enamel is weak, and who are at much higher risk of dental caries (cavities).[i] It is also known that in northern areas, vitamin D deficiency correlates to poor development of tooth enamel.[ii]

It is shocking that this relationship has not been promulgated to the dental profession for decades, because it is hardly new; the earliest research goes all the way back to 1934! The studies on sunlight and dental cavities were reviewed by Dr. Zane Kime[iii] in 1980; one showed a direct correlation between hours of available sunlight per year and the number of dental caries in Caucasian boys 12 to 14 years of age. In geographic areas with less than 2,200 hours of available sunlight, there were 486 cavities per year per each 100 boys. In areas where there were 3,000 or more hours of sunlight, there were only 290 cavities per year per hundred.[iv] The frequency of cavities was also higher in winter than in summer months.[v] Why would this be? In summer, large quantities of vitamin D is produced by exposure to sunshine, and the more the exposure, the greater the vitamin D production. In winter there is little vitamin D production. Still other research showed that 1,000 IU daily of vitamin D in children stopped cavity formation in its tracks.[vi]

Nevertheless, the "Powers of Darkness” continue to spew their anti-sun propaganda and it is they who are primarily responsible for much of the poor dental health and other disasters that plague our children and our adults who hide from the sun.

In winter, vitamin D levels must be maintained at high levels (40-60 ng/ml) to protect teeth. For those not willing to use a tanning bed, supplements (3,000-5,000 IU per day of D3 for adults) are necessary to maintain healthful levels. Remember always to avoid burning in the sun or from excessive exposure to tanning beds or sun lamps.

[i] Schroth, R. et al. Influence of Maternal Vitamin D Status on Infant Oral Health. Presentation at the General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, Toronto, Canada, July 4, 2008.
[ii] Schroth, R. Prevalence of caries among preschool-aged children in a northern Manitoba community. J Can Dent Assoc. 2005 Jan;71(1):27.
[iii] Kime, Z. sunlight Could Save Your Life. World Health Publications, Penryn, CA 1980 pp 180-81.
[iv] East, B. et al. Mean annual hours of sunshine and the incidence of dental caries. Am J Pub Health 1939;29:77.
[v] McBeath, E. et al. The role of vitamin D in control of dental caries in children. J Nutr 1938;15:547.
[vi]McBeath, E. Vitamin D studies, 1933-1934. Am J Public Health Nations Health 1934;24:1028-1030.

How soon will you lose your teeth? With vitamin D, maybe you won’t!

AOL just asked the tooth-loss question on their front page; unfortunately, the article they linked to never mentioned vitamin D as a prophylactic against dental disease and loss of teeth. I was immediately reminded of research showing that periodontal (gum) disease and cavities were both related to low levels of vitamin D deficiency. Yes, you heard that correctly. Vitamin D plays a vital role in dental health, especially the health of gums and bones.

So before you subject your teeth to $20,000 worth of cosmetic dentistry in order to display those pearly whites, be sure your gums are healthy; otherwise, those beautiful teeth may not hang around very long. Beyond vitamin D, good oral hygiene and good nutrition are also vital.

Periodontal disease (PD) attacks the gums and bone around the teeth, causing inflammation, bone loss and subsequent loss of teeth. It is the number-one cause of tooth loss.[1] When the reasons for tooth extraction are analyzed, about 51% of teeth are extracted due to PD.

I previously wrote about the close relationship of inflammation to cardiovascular disease (CVD). In that article I established that vitamin D was anti-inflammatory, and that high vitamin D levels related to a 60% reduction in heart attacks. There is also a close relationship between CVD and PD. Men with PD who are under 50 years of age have a 72% greater risk of CVD.[2]

In the case of PD, bacteria that live in dental plaque cause an immune cell response that releases inflammatory chemicals—the body’s way of trying to destroy the bacteria. Unfortunately, these chemicals cause inflammation of the gum and bone tissue, leading to PD.[3] It is not surprising, then, that the anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin D would reduce both CVD and PD.

Vitamin D and sunlight are also known to dramatically prevent or even reverse osteoporosis. (See my earlier blogs). The bone that holds the teeth is called the alveolar ridge, and if it degenerates, tooth loss is increased. Research has shown that that osteoporosis is closely related to alveolar ridge bone loss and loss of teeth.[4] So does vitamin D reduce the risk of alveolar bone and thereby prevent tooth loss? One study showed that subjects who were supplemented with both calcium and vitamin D had a rate of tooth loss that was 60% lower than those not supplemented![5]

It might seem that using an osteoporosis drug might be the answer to maintaining the alveolar ridge, but don't even think about going there. One of the most popular anti-osteoporosis drugs, Fosomax, may cause bone death in the jaw, resulting in pain, swelling, gum infections, poor healing of gums and loose teeth. Not the result we want to maintain our dental health![6]

http://www.druginjurylaw.com/FosamaxSideEffect.html

The message: maintain optimal vitamin D levels; it will help protect agains teeth loss with none of the side effects of noxious osteoporosis drugs.

[1] dental insurance.com 2006.
[2] DeStefano, F. et al. BMJ 1993;306:688-9.
[3] Page, R Compend Contin Educ Dent 2002;23:11-14.
[4] Tezal, M. J Periodontol 2000;71:1492-8.
[5] Krall, E. et al. Am J Med 2001;111:452-56
[6] druginjurylaw.com/FosamaxSideEffect.html