You’ve been told to floss at least once a day to keep your gums healthy. Keeping gum disease and inflammation out of your mouth could do more than improve your smile.
Chronic gum disease may be associated with an increased risk of oral cancer tumors that carry the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Oral cancers have been on the rise in the U.S. since 1973, despite the fact that tobacco use has been declining since the mid-1960s. Similar trends are being seen around the world and oral HPV infections are to blame.
Researchers, led by Mine Tezal, DDS, PhD, of the University at Buffalo, analyzed information about 124 people diagnosed with primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the mouth and throat from 1999 to 2007.
After examining tissue samples and dental records, researchers found that 40.3 percent of the tumors tested positive for HPV-16.
The scientists found that HPV-16 tumors were more likely to be associated with oropharyngeal (back of the throat) cancer than malignancies found in the mouth or throat.
Researchers also tracked the history of periodontitis (chronic gum disease) by assessing alveolar bone loss (ABL). Every increment of bone loss was associated with an increased risk of HPV tumors, with the greatest number being seen in oropharygeal squamous cell carcinoma.
“Periodontitis is easy to detect and may represent a clinical high-risk profile for oral HPV infection,” the authors conclude. “Prevention or treatment of sources of inflammation in the oral cavity may be a simple yet effective way to reduce the acquisition and persistence of oral HPV infection.”
This research was published June 18 in Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.
This study was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
The Oral Cancer Foundation estimates that 37,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with oral cancer each year, and 8,000 people will die from it. Nine out of every ten oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas which spread quickly and most commonly originate on the tongue, but can also appear on the gums, inner cheeks, lips, and roof and floor of the mouth.
Tobacco use is associated with 75% of all oral cancers, and it includes smokeless tobacco, cigars and pipes as well as cigarette smoking. Heavy alcohol use alone is also a prominent risk factor, and when tobacco use and alcohol use are combined together, it produces a synergistic effect that greatly increases the risk for oral cancer. New research has shown that human papillomavirus-16 (HPV-16), the same virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer, is also causing many cases of oral cancer in both tobacco users and non-tobacco users alike. People who have suppressed immune systems, such as people who have had organ transplants and are on anti-rejection drugs, are also prone to developing oral cancer.