Early childhood caries and their association with serum iron, serum ferritin, serum albumin, and Vitamin D.

Abstract

The present study aimed to correlate the association between serum iron, serum ferritin, serum albumin, and Vitamin D with early childhood caries (ECC). This study was a single-blinded randomized control trial. A total of 200 children aged between 3-6 years were screened for ECC, according to the AAPD guidelines. Out of 200 children, a total of 177 children fulfilled the inclusion criteria. They were divided into two groups: Group 1 consisted of 99 children with ECC and Group 2 (control group) with 78 children. The decayed, extracted because of caries, and filled primary teeth (deft) index were recorded from these children. Blood samples (approximately 2 ml) were collected by an expert nurse in the morning to determine serum levels of iron, ferritin, albumin, and Vitamin D. The data was statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and <i>P</i> value 0.05 was considered significant. The mean deft score was 4.83 (±3.54). The mean value of serum iron was 64.66 (±8.35) μg/dl, serum albumin 3.88 (±0.57) gm/dl, and serum ferritin 29.19 (±42.11) ng/ml in ECC children, whereas mean serum iron was 67.78 (±6.17), serum albumin 3.82 (±0.62) gm/dl, and serum ferritin 26.38 (±23.04) ng/ml in caries-free children. Statistically, no significant relationship was observed between serum iron (<i>P</i> = 0.066), serum albumin (<i>P</i> = 0.448), and serum ferritin (<i>P</i> = 0.192) with ECC. The mean value of Vitamin D was 17.44 (±7.59) ng/ml in ECC children and 35.9 (±9.56) in caries-free children who were significantly low in comparison with the non-ECC subjects (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). The present study suggests no relationship between serum iron, serum albumin, and serum ferritin with ECC, whereas Vitamin D had an inverse relationship with ECC. This study sets a benchmark for the dental fraternity and other health specialists to analyze serum iron, serum ferritin, serum albumin, and Vitamin D levels, while generally treating pediatric patients with or without dental caries. Oral health education campaigns should be conducted for public awareness about the importance of iron, ferritin, albumin, and Vitamin D.