Periodontal Disease May Raise Risk of Some Cancers

Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston suggest people who have periodontal disease may be at higher risk of developing cancer. The prospective study, “Periodontal Disease, Tooth Loss, and Risk of Oesophageal and Gastric Adenocarcinoma: A Prospective Study,” has been published in Gut. 

Using data on patients from the Nurses’ Health Study (1992-2014) — 98,459 women and 49,685 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1988-2016) — the team found during 22-28 years of follow-up there were 199 cases of esophageal cancer and 238 cases of gastric cancer. A history of periodontal disease was associated with a 43% and 52% increased risk of esophageal cancer and gastric cancer, respectively.

According to the study, a history of periodontal disease may be associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer and gastric cancer. This risk was also higher among people who had previously lost teeth.