{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,27]],"date-time":"2026-06-27T09:29:43Z","timestamp":1782552583057,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,22]],"date-time":"2024-05-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1716336000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>(1) Background: This study examines vitamin D\u2019s impact on dental caries to inform prevention strategies, given its critical role in bone and calcium regulation, vital for dental health. (2) Methods: Data from 18,683 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011\u20132016 were analyzed. NHANES collects U.S. population data through interviews, physical exams, and tests, including vitamin D levels and dental health assessed using both the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index and the presence of untreated dental caries. Vitamin D levels were measured according to serum 25(OH)D concentrations, and the analyses adjusted for confounders such as body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic status (SES) using Chi-square, Mann\u2013Whitney U, Kruskal\u2013Wallis tests, as well as logistic and Poisson regression. (3) Results: This study found a mean DMFT score of 7.36 and a 33.2% prevalence of untreated dental caries. A higher caries prevalence was correlated with a lower SES (p &lt; 0.001), the male gender (p &lt; 0.001), and a higher BMI (p &lt; 0.001). Severe vitamin D deficiency (&lt;25 nmol\/L) doubled the risk of dental caries, with odds ratios of 2.261 and 1.953 after adjusting for demographic factors and BMI. (4) Conclusions: Our study confirms a significant relationship between low vitamin D levels and an increased risk of dental caries nationwide, even after accounting for sociodemographic factors, emphasizing the importance of maintaining sufficient vitamin D levels for preventing caries.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu16111572","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,22]],"date-time":"2024-05-22T11:03:47Z","timestamp":1716375827000},"page":"1572","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["The Influence of Vitamin D Levels on Dental Caries: A Retrospective Study of the United States Population"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2827-3740","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Man","family":"Hung","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, 10894 S. River Front Parkway, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA"},{"name":"Division of Public Health, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA"},{"name":"Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Operations, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA"},{"name":"George E. Wahlen Department, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84148, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Himani","family":"Patel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, 10894 S. River Front Parkway, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Samantha","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, 10894 S. River Front Parkway, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Justin","family":"Nguyen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, 10894 S. River Front Parkway, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7277-1291","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amir","family":"Mohajeri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, 10894 S. River Front Parkway, South Jordan, UT 84095, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Ross, A.C., Taylor, C.L., Yaktine, A.L., and Del Valle, H.B. (2011). DRI Dietary Reference Intakes Calcium Vitamin D, National Academies Press. 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