
Forget about the dentist appointment: THIS vitamin can prevent tooth decay by 50%
Getting a dentist appointment these days is not easy, let alone the money you have to spend to fix issues. Tooth decay is one of the most common dental problems that affects children and adults alike.
But the treatment does not have to cost you an arm and a leg. What if tooth decay could be prevented with a simple, affordable nutrient? A study has found a link between tooth decay and vitamin deficiency.
A review of historical clinical trials found that a certain vitamin lowers the rate of tooth decay. The study is published in
Nutrition Reviews
.
Link between tooth decay and
vitamin D
The review found that vitamin D was linked with a 50 percent reduction in the incidence of dental caries.
To understand the link between vitamin D and tooth decay, the researchers reviewed 24 controlled clinical trials, spanning the 1920s to the 1980s, on approximately 3,000 children in several countries. These trials pointed out that vitamin D was associated with an approximately 50 percent reduction in the incidence of tooth decay.
"My main goal was to summarize the clinical trial database so that we could take a fresh look at this vitamin D question," Dr.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here]
Esseps
Learn More
Undo
Philippe Hujoel of the University of Washington, who conducted the review, said.
What is vitamin D
Vitamin D, also known as the 'sunshine vitamin,' is an essential nutrient. It is a fat-soluble nutrient that plays a crucial role in the body. From maintaining bone health, immune function, and mood regulation, vitamin D helps in many vital functions. Our body can naturally produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. When the skin is exposed to sunlight, it naturally makes vitamin D from cholesterol.
The sun's ultraviolet B (UVB) rays interact with the cholesterol in skin cells and trigger the process of vitamin D synthesis.
You can also get this nutrient from foods such as fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), egg yolks, and fortified foods (milk, orange juice).
Vitamin D's role in preventing caries
(Pic courtesy: iStock)
Though vitamin D's role in supporting bone health has not been disputed, there has been a significant disagreement over its role in preventing caries, Hujoel noted.
In 1950, the American Medical Association and the US National Research Council concluded that vitamin D was beneficial in managing dental caries. Later in 1989, the National Research Council, despite new evidence supporting vitamin D's caries-fighting benefits, called the issue 'unresolved.
'
"Such inconsistent conclusions by different organizations do not make much sense from an evidence-based perspective," Hujoel said.
The trials the team reviewed had increased vitamin D levels in children through UV radiation or by diet (cod liver oil or other products containing the vitamin). The trials they reviewed were conducted in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Austria, New Zealand, and Sweden, and were held in institutional settings, schools, medical and dental practices, or hospitals. The participants were children or young adults between the ages of 2 and 16 years, with a weighted mean age of 10 years.
'Pretty Little Baby' Singer Connie Francis Hospitalised, Family Gives Health Update
The findings from the University of Washington reaffirm the importance of vitamin D for dental health. Children who are vitamin D deficient have poor and delayed teeth eruption and are prone to dental caries,' Dr. Michael Hollick, professor of medicine at the Boston University Medical Center said.
Studies have also found that Vitamin D deficiency is linked to dental caries in young children. "Whether this is more than just a coincidence is open to debate.
In the meantime, pregnant women or young mothers can do little harm by realizing that vitamin D is essential to their offspring's health. Vitamin D does lead to teeth and bones that are better mineralized," Hujoel said.
"One has to be careful with the interpretation of this systematic review. The trials had weaknesses which could have biased the result, and most of the trial participants lived in an era that differs profoundly from today's environment,' Hujoel added.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
Optical illusion test: Can you find the hidden golf ball in this image in less than a minute?
Photo credit: Reddit A new puzzling optical illusion has taken the internet by storm. A seemingly ordinary picture of rocks and pebbles on a path has sparked intense competition and debate among social media users. Yes, all because of an image of rocks and pebbles! This viral image contains a hidden golf ball that netizens are racing to find in less than a minute. Think you can solve this optical illusion faster than most social media users? It takes a clever eye and a quick wit to solve this puzzle. Put your cognitive skills to the test by looking for clues in the colours and details of this image to find the hidden figure. What are optical illusions? An optical illusion is a visual percept that appears different from what it actually is. When light enters our eyes, the retina sends a signal to the brain to perceive the image in front of us. In some instances, our eyes are presented with colours, shapes and patterns that mislead the brain. This is compensated for by relying on optical cues and past information to perceive an image. Optical illusions utilise this to trick the brain into seeing something that isn't there. What are the benefits of solving optical illusions? Solving optical illusions isn't just a pastime or a viral trend. They also have some benefits: Cracking optical illusions can improve your problem-solving and abstract thinking skills by encouraging you to think of novel ways of approaching the problem. Optical illusions strengthen your visual and spatial perception as they require interpreting complex visual information and observing minuscule details. Engaging your mind in solving complex optical illusions regularly can help improve your memory and even delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. Solving optical illusions also helps to reduce stress and boost your mood. How can you crack this optical illusion? Scan the entire image first. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Hint: Make sure you look at the image in landscape mode. Different angles can give you different perspectives. Look for colour variations across the path. The answer lies in the details. Focus on different sections of the image one by one. Do you notice any unusual shapes or textures among the pebbles? Don't fret if you haven't been able to spot the hidden golf ball yet. Hint: Its colour is brighter than the pebbles and rocks. Answer If you were not able to solve this puzzle, don't worry. We've got you covered. The hidden golf ball is towards the left edge of the path. Take a look! Optical illusion: Find a man's hidden face in 7 seconds


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Need for vigilance amid new 'Nimbus' Covid variant
Representative image What you need to know NB.1.8.1. — also called "Nimbus' — is a subvariant of the dominant Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. It has been detected in South and Southeast Asia and circulating in many EU/EEA countries. It may lead to hospitalizations over the summer. The European centre for disease prevention and control (ECDC) recommends boosters for at-risk groups or those working in high-risk settings. Testing is recommended for people who are sick and have symptoms that worsen. European health authorities are warning there may be an increase in Covid-19 infections in the coming months amid the spread of the new Omicron variant NB.1.8.1. or "Nimbus." "We have what feels like a fairly standard suite of recommendations that are being repeated," Ajibola Omokanye, an ECDC respiratory viruses expert, told DW. "But we remain watchful." The 2024-2025 winter in the Northern Hemisphere has given experts like Omokanye good reason to be watchful. Population immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is down in Europe, probably due to fewer Covid cases over the winter. As a result, Omokanye said there may be an increase in infections over the European summer. This may include severe cases that require hospital treatment. A need for 'continued vigilance': ECDC expert advice SARS-CoV-2 is becoming more endemic in communities but it is "still not a season pathogen, like influenza," said Omokanye. Covid still appears to move and mutate in unpredictable ways and that "stresses the need for continued vigilance and not being complacent about SARS-CoV-2," said Omokanye. "Just in the same way that we're not complacent about influenza or RSV." Bangladesh has already seen deaths due to Covid in June. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo China and Singapore have also detected new cases of the respiratory disease. Deaths in places like Bangladesh may be partly due to people's poor access to healthcare. By comparison, Omokanye cited Canada, where Nimbus is dominant but without the same rates or severity of cases. But it's not only a case of access to healthcare. "There are multiple factors. First, it's the timing of [a] variant's emergence," Omokanye said. Another, he said, is that there could be a greater possibility for waning immunity where there's been low circulation for a long period of time. With vaccination, there are also several important factors: Which vaccines are available in each country or region and "who they are given to and when," said Omokanye. "The question is: are the vaccines being taken up by that proportion of the population where you see the most severe disease?" Similarly, with healthcare systems and access to supportive treatment, localized differences may determine how seriously infections progress in a population. "They all contribute to the picture of severe disease," said Omokanye. What makes Nimbus different from other Omicron subvariants? ECDC and the world health organization have classified Nimbus as a variant under monitoring (VUM) due to two specific spike mutations. The spikes are the "prongs" that enable the virus to latch onto and infect human cells. They have regularly mutated since SARS-CoV-2 first emerged. Spike protein mutations reduce the ability of human antibodies to neutralize an infection and others that enhance the virus' ability to evade human antibodies. VUM is the lowest category in a system where the more severe stages are Variant of Interest and variant of concern.


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Russia's Kosmos 2558 carried out a secretaive and dangerous military operation in space when US was busy bombing Iran
In the last week of June 2025, the United States of America was dealing with the aftermath of bombing Iran's nuclear sites while several hundreds of kilometers up in the space, Russia was busy targeting spy satellites of its adversaries. As the Israel-Iran conflict took a dangerous turn on June 22 with US President Donald Trump sending in B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to drop the GBU-57 Massive Ordinance Penetrator bunker busters, Russian President Vladimir Putin was playing a diffent ball game, and probably testing an anti-satellite weapon. A small mysterious object, probably a spy satellite with the capability to knock down other satellites, lauched by Russia's Kosmos (Cosmos) 2558 was detected on June 26, just four days after the American bombers dropped bunker busters on Iran. The smaller satellite deployed by Russia's Kosmos 2558 is being called "2025-089C" or "Object C". It is believed to be capable of anti-satellite (ASAT) warfare. The Russians can use it to destroy other satellites and render their enemy blind in space. Launched on August 1, 2002, on a Soyuz-2-1v Volga rocket from Plesetsk cosmodrome, the Kosmos 2558 satellite's mission is unknown. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indonesia: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo But defence experts claim it is "satellite inspector", meaning it has been sent to spy on other satellites. Since its launch almost three years back, the Russian satellite has been tracked as closely following the US spy satellite USA 326. Also Read: JNIM: How an al-Qaeda ally became Africa's most dangerous jihadist group and why the US should worry Live Events Russia vs USA in space The Russian Kosmos 2558 satellite is not an ordinary spay satellite but has a much bigger role. Such space spying maneuvering satellites have new names - "nesting satellites" or "space stalkers". These nesting satellites like Kosmos 2558 carry smaller and armed satellites inside them and can deploy them as per a pre-programed schedule or when they are signalled to do so from ground control. With space becoming increasingly militarized, the US, Russia and China along with a few other countries have been deplying spy satellites at a rapid pace. Some of the satellites are also likley to have offensive capabilities and can be used to either "kill" other space-based assets or even those on the ground. Even the USA 326, launched of February 2, 2022, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, has a classified mission designed to help the US military carry out its operations. The satellite is likley a KH-11 Advanced Enhanced Crystal optical reconnaissance satellite, which can capture and deliver real-time, high-resolution imagery directly to US intelligence agencies. Also Read: Epstein died by suicide, had no secret client list, once called Trump his closest friend: FBI & DOJ With another Russian spy satellite following the USA 326 closely, and now releasing a space asset with potential ASAT capability, the threat perception to America has risen manifolds. Russia has a well-oiled program to trail and hunt enemy satellites. The secretive operation of known in the western world as Project Nivelir. Under this Project Nivelir, Russian nesting satellites have launched smaller space assets at least thrice in the last five years. Such a maneuvre bring to forte the advanced capabilities of Russian space and military capabilities which have not been dented even with the ongoing war with Ukraine and the massive western sanctions in force against it since February 2022.