Assessment of Vitamin B(12) and Its Correlation with Dental Caries and Gingival Diseases in 10- to 14-year-old Children: A Cross-sectional Study

AIM: To assess the level of vitamin B(12) and correlate it with dental caries [decayed, missing, and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) score] and gingival diseases [plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI)]. DESIGN: Healthy children according to the inclusion criteria were selected by the computerized randomization method from a school to assess the vitamin B(12) levels using Centaur/ Versace machine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples were collected to assess vitamin B(12) levels using automated analyzer. Oral examination was done by a single calibrated dentist. A thorough oral examination was carried out and the DMFT, PI, and GI scores of all the children were recorded and assessed. Data were analyzed using Karl Pearson’s correlation test. RESULTS: Vitamin B(12) levels were deficient in 64% of the children. In boys, vitamin B(12) deficiency was found in about 76.2%, whereas, in girls it was 57.1%, which was not statistically significant. The vitamin B(12) deficient children showed a significantly high DMFT scores than the children with normal vitamin B(12) levels. The Pearson’s correlation was -0.614 for DMFT, PI value -0.663, and GI value of -0.477. The negative correlation stated that there was a reverse relation between these indices and vitamin B(12). CONCLUSION: In children with systemic vitamin B(12) deficiency, there is increased dental caries prevalence and associated gingival problems. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Hugar SM, Dhariwal NS, Majeed A, Badakar C, Gokhale N, Mistry L. Assessment of Vitamin B(12 )and Its Correlation with Dental Caries and Gingival Diseases in 10- to 14-year-old Children: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(2):142-146.