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

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.