Influence of Maternal Prenatal Vitamin D Status on Infant Oral Health

Recently, a cross-sectional study <strong>of</strong> Japanese males concluded that there were no
significant associations between the genotypes <strong>of</strong> the Apa I, Bsm I and Fok I VDR
polymorphsism and periodontal measures like the number <strong>of</strong> teeth present, the percentage
<strong>of</strong> teeth with bleeding on probing, and average probing depth. 54 However, those with the
Abf haplotype were significantly more likely to have severe chronic periodontitis, even
after adjusting for age, diabetes, smoking status, and the number <strong>of</strong> teeth present. 54
A new article reporting results from both cross-sectional and longitudinal
investigations also examined the association between gene polymorphism and
periodontal disease. 55 Logistic regression revealed an interaction between smoking status
and VDR genotypes with the presence <strong>of</strong> periodontal disease. 55 This study provides
evidence that VDR gene polymorphisms among smokers may be associated with
periodontal disease.
A case-control study <strong>of</strong> Turkish adults reported no statistically significant
differences in the genotype frequencies for Bsm I, Apa I, or Taq I between those with
generalized chronic periodontitis and healthy controls. 56 Similarly, Li and colleagues
reported no significant relationship between genotype and allele frequencies <strong>of</strong> the Bsm I,
Apa I, and Taq I VDR polymorphisms and generalized aggressive periodontitis. 57
However, there was a notable difference between the groups relating to the Fok I
polymorphism as those with the FF genotype and F allele were more likely to be present
in those with generalized aggressive periodontitis. 57 1.3-10