Vitamin D Deficiency: Causes& Treatments

A study that aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and implant failure in dental implant patients. The study included a total of 667 patients who underwent dental implant surgery between January 2015 and December 2016. The patients were divided into two groups: those with vitamin D deficiency and those with sufficient vitamin D levels. The study found that patients with vitamin D deficiency had a higher rate of early implant failure (failure within the first year after surgery) and biomaterial-related complications compared to patients with sufficient vitamin D levels. The rate of implant failure in the vitamin D deficient group was found to be 7.9%, compared to 2.4% in the sufficient vitamin D group.

The study also found that patients with vitamin D deficiency had a higher risk of developing peri-implantitis, a serious complication characterized by inflammation and bone loss around the implant. Additionally, the study found that vitamin D deficiency was associated with a higher risk of implant mobility and implant exposure (when the implant protrudes through the gums). The study’s authors suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be beneficial for patients undergoing dental implant surgery to reduce the risk of implant failure and complications. They recommend that all patients undergoing implant surgery should be screened for vitamin D deficiency, and those found to be deficient should receive vitamin D supplements.

Overall, the study highlights the importance of vitamin D in maintaining healthy bones and teeth, and suggests that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for implant failure and biomaterial-related complications in dental implant patients. The authors recommend that dental professionals should consider vitamin D status as a part of their pre-implant assessment, and consider vitamin D supplementation for patients with deficiency.