The Association between Vitamin D Deficiency and Dental Caries in Children from Birth to 9 Years of Age: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Authors

David K Langford, Ryan Clance, Allen Khai, Marcio Guelmann, Joseph Katz

Published in

Journal of dentistry for children (Chicago, Ill.). Volume 93. Issue 2. Pages 69-74. May 15, 2026.

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze electronic health records from pediatric patients at a university hospital to evaluate the association between vitamin D deficiency and dental caries in hospitalized children from birth to 9 years of age. Methods: Electronic health records from 124,091 pediatric patients between the years 2011 and 2025 were analyzed. International Classification of Diseases-10 codes identified diagnoses of vitamin D deficiency and dental caries. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Secondary analyses included stratification by race to account for potential demographic confounders. Results: Dental caries was diagnosed in 8% of children with vitamin D deficiency versus 2.6% of those without it. The unadjusted odds ratio for caries in vitamin D-deficient children was 3.17 (95% CI=2.20 to 4.54; P<0.0001). After adjustment for African American ethnicity, the association remained significant (OR=4.581; 95% CI=2.52 to 8.33; P<0.0001). Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased odds of dental caries in the 0 to 9 years age group. Further research is needed to explore the influence of race/ethnicity and nutritional factors on pediatric caries risk.

PMID:
42681743
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 02 Sep 2026.

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