PHILADELPHIA – Studying thousands of patients, Japanese researchers have found a strong link between tooth loss and increased risk of three cancers – esophageal, head and neck, and lung. They suggest that preservation of teeth may decrease risk of developing these diseases.
In the May issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, scientists from Aichi Cancer Center in Nagoya and Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine speculate that bacterial infection and inflammation resulting from poor oral care that leads to tooth loss could also be driving development of these cancers. Periodontal disease is known to increase risk for stroke and heart disease.
