Vitamin D Shortage During Pregnancy Causes Dental Problems To Child

Lack of vitamin D during pregnancy leads to child's dental health problems in early childhood.

A team of researchers from University of Manitoba in Winnipeg and Victoria, Canada, examined 206 pregnant women. Only 21 (10.5%) women were found to have necessary levels of vitamin D. The rest of women had different levels of vitamin shortage.

Later, when researchers examined children at their average age of 16 months, they found that children of mothers who were found to have lack of vitamin D during pregnancy had serious problems with dental health.

Enamel defects were found in 21.6 of children, whose mothers had lower levels of vitamin D than they should. Early signs of tooth decay were found in 33.6% of children, whose mothers had the lowest levels of vitamin D.

It is known that enamel defects lead to tooth cavities and decay. Children suffering such problems in early childhood will face major dental problems when they grow up. This is why all expectant mothers are urged to make sure that vitamin D level is normal during pregnancy and fulfill the lack with milk and supplements.

This study is the first one to look at the link between mother's nutrition during pregnancy and child's dental health, but it's just one of lots of researches pointing out how important is nutrition during pregnancy for child's overall health.