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Updated: Mar 15, 2026
Robust Ligature-Induced Model of Murine Periodontitis for the Evaluation of Oral Neutrophils
Published on: January 21, 2020
Low vitamin D status strongly associated with periodontitis in Puerto Rican adults
Orlando J Abreu1, Dimitris N Tatakis2, Augusto R Elias-Boneta3
1Postdoctoral Master of Science in Clinical and Translational Research, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, PO Box 365067, San Juan, 00936, PR, Puerto Rico.
Background:
Periodontitis and vitamin D deficiency are both highly prevalent in Puerto Rico. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the association between vitamin D levels and periodontal disease in Puerto Rican adults.
Methods:
A sex-, age-, and BMI-matched case-control, cross-sectional study was conducted on 24 cases of moderate/severe periodontitis and 24 periodontally healthy controls aged 35 to 64 years. Each participant completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, underwent a full-mouth periodontal examination and provided blood sample to measure serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D) levels to assess vitamin D status.
Results:
A total of 19 matched case-control pairs (28 females, 10 males) completed the study. Mean serum 25 (OH) D levels were significantly lower in cases (18.5 ± 4.6 ng/ml) than in controls (24.2 ± 7.1 ng/ml; p = 0.006). Lower odds of periodontal disease were observed per unit of 25 (OH) D level (OR 0.885; 95 % CI 0.785, 0.997; p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Lower serum vitamin D levels are significantly associated with periodontitis in Puerto Rican adults.
