The vitamin D status of pregnant women across different phases of pregnancy and later the occurrence of early childhood caries in their children were examined. Children of mothers with higher vitamin D levels had fewer and fewer caries than their peers whose mothers had lower levels. This connection was particularly clear in middle and late pregnancy. The researchers see this as a possible indication of the importance of vitamin D for tooth development even before birth, for example through its influence on mineral metabolism. At the same time, however, they emphasize that this is an observational study. Therefore, no statements about a direct cause-effect relationship could be derived from this.
1 Xu N, Chen Z, Wang B, et al. Vitamin D Levels During Pregnancy and Dental Caries in Offspring. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(12):e2546166. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.46166