Will gum disease raise the risk of cancer?

 

Gum disease may raise the risk of some cancers

People who have periodontal or gum disease may have a higher risk of developing some forms of cancer, suggests a letter published in the journal.

US researchers found that a history of the periodontal disease appeared to be associated with a raised risk of oesophageal (gullet) cancer and gastric (stomach) cancer and this risk was also higher among people who had lost teeth previously.

The authors point to possible reasons for an association between oral bacteria and oesophageal and gastric cancer, with evidence from other studies suggesting that tannerella forsythia and porphyromonas gingivalis -- members of the red complex' of periodontal pathogens -- were associated with the presence or risk of oesophageal cancer.

Another possible reason is that poor oral hygiene and periodontal disease could promote the formation of endogenous nitrosamines known to cause gastric cancer through nitrate-reducing bacteria.

This was an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the researchers cannot rule out the possibility that some observed risk may be due to other unmeasured (confounding) factors.

by,

DR.RENJU T GEORGE,

INDIA.