American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) Practice Exam

Rickets is directly associated with vitamin D deficiency in children. This condition is characterized by the softening and weakening of bones, primarily due to insufficient mineralization of the bone matrix, which is heavily influenced by vitamin D's role in calcium absorption and bone health. In children, this results in symptoms such as delayed growth, pain in the bones, and deformities, particularly in the skeletal structure.

Vitamin D is essential for proper calcium and phosphorus metabolism in the body. When there is a deficiency, it adversely affects the mineralization process, leading specifically to rickets in adolescents and children. While osteomalacia and osteoporosis are diseases related to bone health, osteomalacia typically occurs in adults and is primarily associated with vitamin D deficiency as well, but it does not manifest in the same way as rickets. Osteoporosis, on the other hand, pertains to decreased bone density and is more common in older populations as a result of aging, hormonal changes, and other factors rather than a direct outcome of vitamin D deficiency in the growth stages of childhood. Paget's disease also does not have a direct link to vitamin D deficiency, as it primarily involves abnormal bone remodeling and is not restricted to a deficiency state.