There is an increased risk of cancer in people with advanced gum disease, according to results of a study published in the medical journal. Advanced gum disease, also called periodontitisis caused by a bacterial infection that damages the soft tissues and bones that support the teeth.
Researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine and Eizabeth Platz from the Kimmel Cancer Center in the United States conducted a study with medical data from 7,466 subjects followed between the end of the 1990s and 2012, as part of their participation in the atherosclerosis study. During the follow-up period, 1,648 new cases of cancers were diagnosed.
A significant link between periodontitis and lung cancer
Study results showed a 24% increased risk of developing cancer in participants with severe periodontitis, compared to those with severe periodontitis. periodontitis light or not. Among patients who had missing teeth, which can be a symptom of severe periodontitis, the increased risk was 28%. The highest hazard was observed for lung cancer and colorectal cancer.
When the researchers did subgroup analyses, they found that participants with severe periodontal disease were twice as likely to develop a lung cancer and an 80% higher risk of colon cancer.
“This is the largest study on the association between gum disease and the risk of cancer,” explains Dominique Michaud, professor of public health and community medicine and author of the study. “Further research is needed to assess whether prevention and treatment of periodontal disease could help mitigate cancer incidence and reduce the number of deaths from certain types of cancers.”
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