Your dentist can do more than take care of your teeth; he may also help to keep your entire body healthy.
Research published in The Lancet Oncology this month reports that gum disease may raise a person’s chance of cancer, regardless of whether the individual is a smoker or not. Prior studies suggest that those with gum disease were also more likely to develop heart disease.
Scientists at the Harvard University School of Health followed over 48,000 men, between the ages of 40 and 75, for a period of 17 years.
The study took into account baseline gum disease with bone loss, number of natural teeth and tooth loss in the previous two years. It also adjusted for other known risk factors such as diet, smoking and heredity.
Data showed that those subjects with a history of periodontal disease had a 14 percent higher rate of future cancers.
“Gum disease was associated with a small, but significant, increase in overall cancer risks,” said Dr. Dominique Michaud of the Imperial College London. “Gum disease might be a marker of a susceptible immune system or might directly affect cancer risk.”
The risk was most associated with lung, kidney, pancreatic and hematological (blood) cancers, according to the researchers. Non-melanoma skin cancer and non-aggressive prostate cancer was not recorded.
While more studies are in order, Dr. Michaud and his colleagues urge healthy adults to practice good oral hygiene and their visit their dentists to avoid periodontal disease.
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