People with gum disease (periodontitis) have a higher risk of developing tongue cancer. Researchers from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in New York, compared 51 men with newly diagnosed cancer of the tongue to 54 cancer-free controls seen during the same period. The study excluded people younger than 21 years and those who lacked teeth, had any previous malignancy, and those with an impaired immune system. Periodontitis leads to bone loss around affected teeth, and the investigators used bone loss seen on x-rays to assess periodontitis. They reported that each millimetre reduction in bone was associated with a 5-fold rise in the risk of tongue cancer. Periodontitis is a chronic disease that progresses very slowly. Seeing alveolar bone loss on x-rays indicates the gum disease has existed for decades, making it clear that periodontitis preceded the cancer diagnosis, and not vice-versa. The researchers suggest that larger studies are needed to confirm these findings, and to subtract the effect of tobacco use on the risk of periodontal disease and tongue cancer.
Archives of Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery,
May 2007