Deficient serum vitamin D level is not a risk for periodontitis-A cross-sectional clinical study

Aim Periodontal diseases are characterized by the presence of bleeding, inflammation, sensitivity, discomfort, mobility and tooth loss. Plenty of studies supported the assumption that vitamin D deficiency might be a risk factor for periodontal diseases. Our hypothesis aimed to investigate if there is a true association between serum vitamin D level and the presence of periodontal disease.

Materials and methods Using a cross-sectional study design, a total of 200 participants, 100 periodontitis and 100 non-periodontitis patients, were recruited during the routine examination and enrolled to 2 comparative groups. 

Results Serum vitamin D levels of periodontitis patients (11.607±7.58 ng/ml) compared to non-periodontitis patients (11.756±5.608 ng/ml) presented non statistically significant differences (p-value = 0.878). Most of the  population (97%) in both groups represented significantly lower serum vitamin D levels. Serum vitamin D levels showed inverse correlation with gender (r= - 0.39) as well as age (r= - 0.09), linear correlation with systemic conditions (r= 0.04) and no correlation with periodontal conditions (r= 0.00). 

Conclusion The serum vitamin D deficiency is not a risk factor for periodontitis and their relationship is spurious.