Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between vitamin D levels and periodontitis according to sleep duration in a representative sample of Korean adults.
Materials and Methods: A total of 3535 subjects who participated in the sixth (2013–2014) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were examined. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum concentration of 20 ng/ml. Periodontal status was assessed with the community periodontal index (CPI). A high CPI was defined as a score ≥ 3. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were adjusted for sociodemographic variables, oral and general health behaviors, and systemic health status. All analyses used a complex sampling design, and a subgroup analysis was performed to determine estimates following stratification for sleep duration (≤ 5, 6, 7–8, and ≥ 9 h per day).
Results: Multivariable regression analysis indicated that among participants who slept for ≥ 9 h per day, those with vitamin D deficiency were 5.51 times (95% confidence interval = 2.04–14.89) more likely to have periodontitis than those with sufficient vitamin D levels. This association was not statistically significant in the other sleep duration groups.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that people with vitamin D deficiency who sleep 9 h or longer may also be statistically significantly more likely to have periodontitis. Keywords: periodontal disease, periodontitis, sleep, sleep duration, vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency