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People with vitamin deficiencies may adjust their diets or take a supplement that provides the vitamins they lack. While these supplements provide some nutrients, they cannot replace all of the benefit associated with eating certain foods.  Patients who take supplements should inform their dentist if they are also taking drugs such as anticoagulants or iron supplements, because too much of some vitamins can interfere with how these drugs work.

Diets rich in certain foods also will boost the levels of these vitamins. People with low levels of B vitamins  should eat different types of foods depending on the nature of the deficiency. Source of the various B vitamins include the following:

• Thiamin (B1). Liver, legumes, nuts, pork, whole and enriched grains
  
  
• Riboflavin (B2). Broccoli, eggs, meat, milk and milk products, whole and enriched grains
  
  
• Niacin (B3). Eggs, fish, meat, milk, nuts, poultry, whole and enriched grains
  
  
• Pyroxidine (B6). Bananas, enriched grains, fish, leafy green vegetables, legumes, meat, poultry
  
  
• Folic acid (B9). Asparagus, broccoli, fortified cereals, leafy green vegetables, legumes, oranges
  
  
• Cobalamin (B12). Eggs, fish, fortified cereals, meat, milk and milk products, poultry

Most other vitamins also can be obtained through dietary sources, although the body can manufacture vitamin D on its own as long as a person is exposed to at least several minutes of sunlight two to three times a week. The amount of sun exposure needed to produce enough vitamin D depends on skin tone. People with darker skin require longer sun exposure than people with lighter skin.

Most other vitamins can be obtained through dietary sources, or from the body itself which can manufacture vitamin D after exposure to sunlight. In recent years, researchers have uncovered widespread vitamin D deficiencies, especially among people who live at higher latitudes and among darker-skinned people. Current recommendations from the Institute of Medicine suggest that everyone receive at minimum of 200 IU daily of vitamin D, which can easily be obtained by about 15 minutes of direct sun exposure daily. However, because of absorption problems among elderly, some researchers believe a higher level, such as 800 IU daily coupled with adequate calcium, is recommended to prevent fractures. The Institute of Medicine has found that the tolerable upper level intake of vitamin D is 2,000 IU daily.

Some dietary sources of these vitamins include: