The association between serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels and dental caries in US adults.

Objectives: We investigated whether 25‐hydroxyvitamin D concentration is independently associated with dental caries among adults in the United States. Subjects and Methods: This investigation was a cross‐sectional study. A total of 4,244 participants (aged 20–80 years) were enrolled through the 2007–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D was categorized into four groups based on previous studies: normal (≥75 nmol/ml), insufficient (50–74.9 nmol/ml), deficient (25–49.9 nmol/ml), and severely deficient (<25 nmol/ml). The dependent and independent variables included dental caries and serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, respectively. The data were analyzed using univariate analyses, multivariable‐adjusted analyses, and subgroup analyses. Results: The fully adjusted model showed that 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels were negatively associated with dental caries after adjusting for the confounders (OR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.98). Compared with the normal group, the likelihood of dental caries was 2.48, 1.29, and 1.43 times higher in the severely deficient, deficient, and insufficient groups, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D levels are significantly associated with the occurrence of dental caries among US adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]