Several studies have examined the relationship between maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and the risk of early childhood caries (ECCs) in children, but results have been inconsistent, largely because of variations in sample size and study design. To address these limitations, researchers evaluated the impact of vitamin D levels across pregnancy on ECCs in a cohort of 4,109 mother-offspring pairs. The study showed that higher maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels were associated with lower odds of ECCs in offspring (odds ratio [OR]: 0.98 in the first and second trimesters; 0.99 in the third trimester).
Conversely, children born to mothers with vitamin D insufficiency, deficiency, or severe deficiency had higher odds of developing ECCs compared with those whose mothers had sufficient vitamin D levels. Additionally, higher third-trimester 25(OH)D concentrations were linked…
