People with serious gum disease are at higher risk of developing oral pre-cancerous lesions and tumours, according to dental researchers at the University of Buffalo.
The researchers found that people with serious periodontal disease were at double the risk of having a pre-cancerous lesion and at four times the risk of having an oral tumor of any kind than persons without serious gum disease.
“This is the first finding of a potential link between oral cancer and oral infection, but there is evidence of an infection link in other cancers. The potential implications of this association of gum disease and oral cancer is enormous”, said Sara Grossi.
Results showed that oral tumours were four times more prevalent and pre-cancerous lesions were twice as prevalent in people with periodontal disease than in those without periodontal disease.
“These findings suggest strongly that infection is associated with oral cancer, but they don’t prove that oral infection is causally related to oral cancer. If clinical studies prove that to be true, the implications for public health would be tremendous.
“Additional research in this area could significantly improve oral-cancer screening and early detection programs and help reduce mortality from oral cancer”, Grossi added.
ANI
singhal