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Research: Vitamin D Deficiency Leaves Its Mark On The Smile

Research: Vitamin D Deficiency Leaves Its Mark On The Smile
by Carolina Pickens

A study published by McMaster University in May found vitamin D is vital to more than just skin and the neurological system.

Previously, there was no way to prove long-term vitamin D deficiencies in the human species. However, anthropologists studying ancient human teeth found that the main material of teeth — dentin — records when the body undergoes deficient periods.

It was discovered that when an extended period of vitamin D deficiency occurred, the dentin of the teeth could not remineralize and form new, healthy layers. This makes sense, as a lack of sufficient vitamin D has been tied to problems like osteoporosis and other bone density problems.

This lack of mineralization created badly mineralized calcium salt deposits, also known as interglobular dentin. These calcium salt deposits, in turn, formed rickets within the tooth.

Researchers can now read and analyze these dentin rickets in much the same way as one can read the rings of a tree trunk. Like rickets, a problem wherein bones don't sufficiently remineralize and are prone to breaks, teeth were unable to maintain their strength throughout the human's lifespan. These "markers" were trapped within the layers of dentin, waiting to be uncovered by researchers.

Not only was this vital in discovering the patterns of migration in early humans due to changes in sunlight exposure based on latitude and seasons, but dentists today can also analyze how and why vitamin D deficiency occurs in humans.

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