Study Finds Link Between Periodontitis and Cancer Risk

A collaborative study has found more evidence supporting an association between increased cancer risk among patients with periodontitis. The study “Periodontal Disease Assessed Using Clinical Dental Measurements and Cancer Risk in the ARIC Study” published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found a 24% increase in the risk of developing cancer among participants with severe periodontitis—defined as more than 30% of sites with attachment loss greater than 3 mm—compared with those who had mild to no periodontitis. Among participants who were edentulous, cancer risk increased by 28%.

Researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study, which included comprehensive dental exams from 7,466 participants from Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Study subjects were followed from the late 1990s until 2012. The data showed that 1,648 new cancer cases were diagnosed during the follow-up period.

Investigators discovered that participants with severe periodontitis had more than double the risk of lung cancer than those with no/mild periodontitis. An 80% increase in colon cancer risk was observed for participants who were edentulous at baseline and, interestingly, among never smokers. A two-fold increase in colon cancer risk was observed for participants with severe periodontitis compared with those who had no/mild periodontitis. No associations were found for breast, prostate, or hematopoietic/lymphatic cancer risk. The researchers suggest that additional study is needed to learn more about the effects of site-specifics and racial differences on cancer risk and the presence of periodontitis.

Hygiene Connection E-Newsletter
March 2018