Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Effects on Enamel, Dentin, and Pulp: A Literature Review

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is very common in the Indian subcontinent and many countries, in spite of plenty of sun exposure. Vitamin D has a definite influence on metabolism of bone and dental tissues. VDD causes a variety of bone deformities clinically represented as rickets and dental defects such as decreased enamel, dentin mineralization, and altered pulp morphology in children. Therefore, appropriate serum Vitamin D levels are required for the mineralization process of both teeth and bone. VDD may affect the teeth during intrauterine life and show changes in early childhood and may continue throughout life. Enamel, dentin, and pulp changes due to VDD can be diagnosed by clinical, microbiological, or histologic and radiologic examination. Knowledge of VDD-induced dental changes is necessary for early detection and in time corrections of defects produced. This review aims to collate the data available on the deficiency of Vitamin D observed among children and its manifestations affecting enamel, dentin, and pulp. To identify relevant articles, PubMed and Embase databases were searched for terms such as VDD (MesH terms), VDD (all fields), and dental enamel, dentin, and pulp (MesH and all fields). The related data searched includes peer-reviewed articles, randomized control trials, systematic reviews, and case reports for manuscript compilation.