A recent study showed that vitamin K2 was protective against every single metric of dental health measured.

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This paper came out in 2023 in Healthcare.

They aim was simple - look at vitamin K2 levels in relation to dental health.

They did this by looking at carboxylated osteocalcin levels - which reflects whole body K2 status.

Specifically they were looking at a condition called periodontitis.

This is essentially dental inflammation, especially in the gums but also impacting the teeth themselves.

These are the stages, with gingivitis being early and stage 5 being very severe.

Vitamin K2 levels were strongly and inversely related to the severity of periodontitis.

The more severe the damage, the less K2, almost perfectly.

Stage = damage level (I is best, IV is most damaged)

Grade = progression speed (A is slowest, C fastest)

K2 status was also directly linked to more specific measures of dental health.

Approximal Plaque Index (API) - more K2 = less plaque and cavity risk.

Bleeding on Probing (BoP) - more K2 = less bleeding from gums.

Again these are very tight correlations.

Here are some more measures K2 improved.

◇ Pocket Depth (PD) - How deep the gum gap is
◇ Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) - How much support the tooth lost
◇ Alveolar Bone Level (BL) - How much jawbone holding tooth remains

PPD = Probing Pocket Depth

Another measure of how severe the gums are damaged, K2 once again highly protective.

Picture for reference.

K2 is probably the most important nutrient for dental health.

It has a ton of actions essential for gum / tooth health:

◇ Stimulates osteoblast differentiation - cells that help lay down bone matrix underneath the gums that support the teeth

◇ Lowers osteoclast differentiation - the cells that do the opposite, breaking down bone matrix

◇ Increases ALP - a key enzyme involved in the tooth mineralization process that helps form bone and teeth.

◇ Direct anti-inflammatory effects - inhibiting cytokine release and NF-κB activation.

◇ K2 is also essential for blood clotting, which helps stop bleeding in the gums. It does this through activating several "factor" proteins.

◇ Finally K2 activates a protein called Matrix gla - which binds calcium in non-bone or enamel tissues to help keep redirect calcium

Foods highest in K2: egg yolks, certain cheeses, liver

RDA is ~100 mcg

MK4 (main form of K2) can be supplemented at 2+ mg / day,

MK7 (longer half life) can be supplemented at 100 mcg.

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