Dental Links
Approximately 30,000 Americans are
diagnosed with oral cancer every year, and approximately 8,000
die as a result. With one life lost every hour, oral cancer
claims more lives than cervical cancer, brain cancer, skin
cancer and Hodgkin’s disease.
Like many cancers, the key to surviving oral cancer is early
detection. Detecting oral cancer in its early stages is
imperative and can dramatically increase the five-year survival
rate from approximately 57 percent to 81 percent.
In recent years, there has been a marked rise in the incidence
of oral cancer. The disease occurs generally in those over the
age of 50 years, but the recent rise in incidence has
particularly affected younger age groups. It should now be
appreciated that oral cancer can occur in either gender, at any
age.
The aetiology of oral cancer is complex. However, the majority
of patients with oral cancer smoke and/or drink alcohol to
excess - the combination of smoking and drinking significantly
increases the risk. There is also a clear association between
social deprivation and incidence rates of oral cancer.
Trends in Incidence of
Oral Cancer
Since the early 1970s, oral cancer rates have been increasing.
During the period 1990-99, the incidence rate of oral cancer in
Scotland increased by 34% in both males and females. The rise
has been particularly evident among younger age groups, possibly
due to changing patterns of alcohol consumption and tobacco use.
The rise in
obesity may be going hand-in-hand with increases in severe gum
disease, US research suggests:
There is a
link between body fat and periodontal disease among young
adults, according to a study published in the Journal of
Periodontology Past studies have shown a
strong correlation between obesity and periodontitis, with the
conclusion that “Individuals who maintained a normal weight,
pursued regular exercise, and consumed a diet in conformity with
the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid
recommendations were 40% less likely to have periodontitis.”
There is increasing evidence to link the following with
Periodontal Disease
Diabetic
patients are more likely to develop periodontal disease, which
in turn can increase blood sugar and diabetic complications.
Severe periodontal disease can increase blood sugar,
contributing to increased periods of time when the body
functions with a high blood sugar. This puts diabetics at
increased risk for diabetic complications. People with moderate to severe gum disease may have an elevated
risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the results of a new study
suggests.
and
Chronic periodontitis is associated with
an increased incidence of
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) among younger men, independent of
established cardiovascular risk factors.
Meta-analysis
of five prospective cohort studies (86 092
patients) found
people with Periodontal Disease had a 1.14-fold higher risk of
developing coronary heart disease (CHD) than controls.
Millions of Americans are afflicted by cardiovascular disease
which can lead to life-threatening events like stroke and heart
attack. Most people agree that exercising and eating right can
reduce the risk of developing heart disease, but what about
tooth brushing, flossing, or treating gum infections? Oral
biologist Salomon Amar says that treating an infection, whether
it’s herpes, pneumonia, or gum disease, may be one route to
lower the risk of systemic diseases like heart or pulmonary
disease
Epidemiological
studies have suggested a link between atherosclerosis (hardening
of the arteries) and severe periodontal disease.
Expectant Mothers
Should “Brush Up” on Their Oral Hygiene Routine.
Researchers have long speculated
that women with periodontal diseases may have an increased risk
of adverse pregnancy outcomes. They are at greater
risk for having low birth weight and preterm birth babies
Only a few studies have
explored a potential link between oral disease and
the subsequent risk of developing dementia. Data from
two case-control studies suggest that tooth loss may
be a significant risk factor for Alzheimer disease.
Researchers found that subjects with periodontal disease and
those with missing teeth were nearly twice as likely to have
chronic kidney disease (60 percent and 85 percent, respectively)
compared with those without these risk factors.
A recent study published in the Journal of Periodontology
(JOP), the official publication of the American Academy of
Periodontology (AAP), suggests that edentulous, or
toothless, adults may be more likely to have CKD than dentate
adults. In the study, conducted at Case Western Reserve
University, endentulism was found to be significantly associated
with CKD, indicating that oral care may play a role in reducing
the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the U.S.
population.
Studies suggest that tooth loss and
periodontal disease might increase the risk of developing
various cancers.
Periodontal disease was associated with a small, but
significant, increase in overall cancer risk, which persisted in
never-smokers. The associations recorded for lung cancer are
probably because of residual confounding by smoking. The
increased risks noted for haematological, kidney, and pancreatic
cancers need confirmation, but suggest that periodontal disease
might be a marker of a susceptible immune system or might
directly affect cancer risk.
Patients with RA in a recent
study were shown to have a significantly increased periodontal
attachment loss compared to controls. Oral hygiene may only
partially account for association.
Another study showed a strong association between wrist and
periodontal bone destruction
Poor oral health, dependence on
help conducting daily oral hygiene, oral colonization of
periodontal and respiratory pathogens, all possibly influenced
by periodontitis, are associated with nosocomial pneumonia.
There is good evidence that
improved oral hygiene and frequent professional oral health care
reduces the progression or occurrence of respiratory diseases
among high-risk elderly adults living in nursing homes and
especially those in intensive care units.
A study published in
J Int Acad Periodontol stated:
"Chronic sub-clinical inflammation,
although often for the most part in a healthy reference range,
has recently been declared part of the insulin resistance
syndrome, as such inflammatory responses appear to participate
in the progression of metabolic disorders, including type 2
diabetes and atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that periodontal
disease is one such sub-clinical inflammation. Here, we
summarize current knowledge supporting this concept primarily
based on data obtained from our own studies and propose a new
concept that periodontal disease should be considered as part of
the insulin resistance syndrome"
much more valuable after we lose it"