Vitamin D deficiency may lead to prolonged treatment, and even to the occurrence of various complications, e.g. complications after implantation or worse wound healing after tooth extraction – says Prof. Marzena Dominiak, president of the Polish Dental Society.
- Vitamin D is responsible for strong bones, supports immunity, and prevents hypertension, heart and metabolic diseases
- The deficit of this vitamin affects, for example, the condition of our oral cavity
- In children, the first symptom is rickets, while in adolescents and adults we can have a lot of different changes, ranging from periodontal diseases, more frequent tooth decay to malocclusion – says the dentist prof. Marzena Dominiak.
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Could Diet Have A Significant Effect On Oral Health?
Of course. I am researching the role of vitamin D in this context, and it turns out that a diet that is deficient in this vitamin, or that prevents it from being properly absorbed or interferes with the proper functioning of other factors needed for vitamin D synthesis in our body, has many consequences for oral health.
Thanks to vitamin D, complicated processes take place, not necessarily directly associated with it. For example, it leads to the fact that calcium reaches the bones, or that, inter alia, thanks to it, there is no development of pre-diabetes.
Thus, the biological activity of vitamin D affects many situations that are necessary for the proper functioning and indirectly affects the health of the oral cavity. We even did research on this topic as part of a PhD thesis. Including we determined the level of vitamin D in people who came to dental treatment for orthodontic reasons, i.e. when there are irregularities in the structure of the jaw, mandible, malocclusion, and dental defects. We tested their levels of vitamin D and other micronutrients that we need, we collected information on whether someone was taking vitamin D or following a diet that affects the level of vitamin D in the body, we asked about sun exposure.
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They found that none of these features significantly affected vitamin D levels, including eating or not eating meat, and occasional sun exposure, such as on vacation. Thanks to these “treatments”, its level may rise to a few units at most, which is not enough for us to speak of a significant impact.
The American Society of Endocrinology considered levels between 40 and 60 ng / ml necessary for soft tissues to function properly, slightly higher for bones. But it’s not just about maintaining that vitamin D level in your venous blood. Because it turns out that when we examine its level in capillary blood, it is much lower, and what matters is the level of absorbed and processed vitamin D that has reached the cells and causes them to function properly.
What happens in the mouth if the vitamin D levels are inadequate?
In children, the first symptom is rickets, while in adolescents and adults, we may have a lot of different changes, ranging from periodontal disease, more frequent tooth decay to malocclusion as a result of an accelerated process of bone suture overgrowth, which results, among others, in jaw strictures, or undershot and crossbiting, which are quite common in our population.
Research shows that vitamin D levels can affect the course of dental treatment. Please describe what this relationship is all about?
That’s true. Any deficiencies may lead to prolonged treatment and even the occurrence of various complications. The correct concentration of vitamin D in the body reduces the risk of complications after implant treatment, and also increases the chances of implant success – it largely depends on the condition of the bone tissue, which is directly influenced by vitamin D.
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Deficiencies mean problems with the healing of the tissues around the implants. Healing problems are one of the basic problems of modern implantology, as it leads to a high percentage of implant loss. This is because the healing process is very impaired.
Sockets after tooth extraction also heal worse – when vitamin D is lacking, the so-called dry socket, which is a very severe side effect of tooth extraction, appears much more often.
Many patients also have problems with abnormal tooth grinding as a result of clenching them too hard. When the structure of the teeth is deprived of an adequate amount of vitamin D, they wear down much faster.
Complications also apply to patients undergoing oncological therapy, especially in patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia. Vitamin D deficiency causes various types of bone complications in the oral cavity, e.g. in the jaw bone. The therapy is tedious, difficult and often has to be supported by general treatment.
Lack of vitamin D is also a greater tendency to tooth decay. If a carious process, even a small one, occurs within the enamel, then with a low dentine density, caries changes and develops much faster.
Young mothers often complain about it …
It’s true, I often hear from women: I have dental problems after pregnancy. In fact, it is not about the pregnancy itself, but about the fact that all the micro and macro elements that we provide during pregnancy for the baby to develop properly should also be recommended with the mother in mind. Because their deficiency intensifies other harmful processes and, for example, an incorrect diet is enough for the development of caries in the mother’s mouth.
The gum recession, i.e. the exposure of the tooth neck, is also a big problem. Is it also influenced by vitamin D deficiency?
We cannot put an equal sign here: lack of vitamin D equals gum recession, because it is the whole process related to the lack of parathyroid hormone (PTH – a hormone produced by the parathyroid glands, which, together with calcitonin and vitamin D3, is responsible for the calcium-phosphate balance in the body – ed.) ed.) and the associated bone resorption. This is the result of a chain of events: secondary hyperparathyroidism is associated with improper diet, which reduces vitamin D levels and increases parathyroid hormone levels, which in turn may affect the reabsorption of calcium from the bone, which under favorable conditions (for example in orthodontic treatment, too much) high pressure while brushing) will result in the exposure of the tooth neck and the related destruction of the alveolar bone, with the production of crater-like bone defects and, finally, loss of teeth. It doesn’t happen right away, but over the years, but it does result in tooth loss, often not caused by periodontitis, as is commonly believed.
All to blame for vitamin D deficiencies?
Not directly. There are many general diseases that affect the health of our oral cavity, including immunological deficiencies and a genetically determined lack of oxidative enzymes. But yes, the lack of dietary antioxidants, and they cleanse our body of free radicals, can contribute to the development of, for example, periodontal disease. In this case, an improper diet can also damage the mitochondria, which causes various types of disorders, including the acceleration of the development of autoimmune diseases that manifest in the oral cavity.
- Find out more: Vitamin D – what is the risk of its deficiency? [WE EXPLAIN]
However, there is no guarantee that if you start eating more antioxidants (such as heals fruit), it will be enough to keep you from having problems, but it will certainly help to improve your oral health from the inside out. It is even said that the oral cavity is the mirror of the health of all health. Looking into the mouth, we already know: how good it is here, also inside, it is good in our body. And vice versa.
If we are facing any dental procedures, is it worth taking care of the proper level of vitamin D in advance?
Of course. In my office, testing vitamin D levels is a routine test. They can be made from venous blood, although a capillary blood test gives better results. In some offices, there are tiny devices used for this, which are used for immunochromatography – it’s a genetic test similar to COVID-19 – we get the result in 15 minutes. It is worth not only examining whether the level of vitamin D is good or not good, but also measuring its value. You only need to take into account the fact that the test performed with capillary blood gives a slightly lower level than that from venous blood.
Knowing the values, we can correct the supplementation used by the patient, because patients often think that if they regularly take e.g. 1000 mg of vitamin D, it is sufficient. Meanwhile, it may turn out that this person has such large deficits that it is not enough. But it may also be that someone takes a lot more and is still deficient because their body doesn’t process vitamin D, so whatever you take, your levels won’t rise. That is why it is worth doing it under the supervision of a doctor – sometimes more complicated treatment is needed than simple supplementation.
It is very difficult to replenish vitamin D3 deficiency by consuming food alone. Supplementation is often needed. For example, try Vitamin D3 in Black Cumin Oil 2000 UI.
Anyway, nowadays in many offices such tests are performed “on the spot”.
Can you test your vitamin D levels yourself to see if you are deficient?
Of course. Based on the result of the examination, the doctor will be able to determine whether it is enough, or whether it would be better to replenish its level before we start dental treatment.
Monika Wysocka, Zdrowie.pap.pl
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