Poor vitamin D levels during pregnancy linked to tooth decay in toddlers

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Women's low vitamin D levels during pregnancy are linked to a higher risk of cavities in the teeth of their toddlers, according to a new study from Canada.

Previous studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency among mothers can lead to defects in the enamel of their toddlers' teeth - which have already begun to develop in the womb – and that these defects can increase the risk of tooth decay.

Robert J. Schroth from University of Manitoba's dental school in Winnipeg and his team wondered whether low vitamin D levels in mothers during pregnancy would also translate into higher cavity rates for their toddlers.

They measured vitamin D levels in the second or early third trimester in 207 pregnant women and then examined the teeth of 135 of their children when they were an average of 16 months old. Mothers-to-be were recruited from a predominantly poor, urban area.

Women's vitamin D levels were mostly in the normal range, but about one-third had levels that were too low.

Depending on what definition of cavities the researchers used, 23 to 36 percent of the toddlers had cavities.

Prenatal vitamin D levels were significantly lower in women whose toddlers later had cavities than in women whose toddlers did not have cavities, according to findings published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

In fact, there was a direct relationship between low vitamin D levels in mothers and higher numbers of cavities in their toddlers.

Besides low vitamin D levels in mothers, defects in the tooth enamel were also associated with cavities in kids.

About the broadcaster:

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.