ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate vitamin D's effect on lowering the RANKL/OPG ratio in periodontitis. Methods: A randomized post-test only control group design was used with 27 Wistar rats divided into 3 groups: Group I (healthy + 2000 IU vitamin D), Group II (periodontitis-induced, no vitamin D), and Group III (periodontitis-induced + 2000 IU vitamin D). Observations were made on days 7, 14, and 28. Serum RANKL and OPG were measured via ELISA and analyzed using One-Way ANOVA and LSD post hoc tests. Results: Significant differences in RANKL/OPG ratios appeared on days 14 (p=0.011) and 28 (p=0.005). Group III showed a lower RANKL/OPG ratio than Group II on both days. Conclusion: Vitamin D reduces the RANKL/OPG ratio, indicating its potential to inhibit periodontitis progression starting from day 14.
