Association Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Vdr Bsmi Polymorphism in Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Patients (In the Iranian Population) Publisher



Mostafavi M ; Rezazadeh F ; Fattahi MJ ; Tavakoli F ; Ghaderi A
Source: Journal of Dentistry (Iran) Published:2026

Abstract

Background: Multiple studies have revealed an association between vitamin D levels, ge-netic polymorphisms of the VDR (vitamin D receptor) gene, and the underlying causes of various bone and cartilage disorders. Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between the BsmI polymorphism of the VDR gene and serum vitamin D levels in a group of temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) patients compared to healthy controls. Materials and Method: Our cross-sectional study encompassed 42 TMD patients diagnosed according to the research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC/TMD) and 41 healthy subjects. Genomic DNA was prepared, the BsmI variant was analyzed by PCR-RFLP, and the serum vitamin D level was measured by ELISA technique. Chi square and ANOVA test was used for analysis and statistical significance was set at p Value < 0.05. Results: The serum levels of vitamin D in the TMD group were significantly lower than those in the control group, with values of 43.52±18.16 ng/mL compared to 57.56±21.29 ng/mL (p= 0.002). The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency was remarkably higher in the patients than in the controls, at 26.19% vs. 4.87%, respectively (p= 0.008). Our analysis revealed no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of the VDR BsmI variant between TMD patients and controls (p= 0.475 and p= 1.000, respectively). Addition-ally, our study found no significant association between the genotypes of the VDR BsmI variant and vitamin D status (p= 0.363). Conclusion: Monitoring vitamin D levels in TMD patients is important, as deficiency may impact disease development. Further research is needed on the role of vitamin D and VDR gene variants in managing temporomandibular disorders. © Journal of Dentistry, this is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/) which permits reusers to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format if the original work is properly cited, and attribution is given to the creator. The license also permits for commercial use.