Gum Disease Linked to Smoking and Cancer
DNA Mutation and Inflammation Appear as Major Culprits
Jun 12, 2009
Finding surprising associations that only a decade ago may have seemed incredible, dental hygiene researchers have linked gum disease with both smoking and cancer.
Smoking Makes Gum Disease Bacterium More Potent
In the 40-odd years since the U.S. Surgeon General’s report pointing the finger at smoking as the cause of catastrophic health problems, it has been linked with a broad range of health risks. One of the latest connections scientists have made is the link between smoking and gum disease.
Oral hygiene professionals have known for years that smoking is harmful to gum tissue. The recent research zeroes in to pinpoint exactly why smokers are more likely to develop gum disease. One of the primary bacteria responsible for gum disease, Porphyromonous gingivalis, actually changes its DNA as a response to cigarette smoke. The bacterium also undergoes changes in parts of its cell structures.
These effects have an alarming outcome. They make P. gingivalis more virulent, enabling it to more easily infect smokers’ gum tissues. The body’s immune system reaction to gum disease is also affected in ways that make typical dental care for gum disease less effective.
The discovery may lead to additional research into new approaches to dental therapy for smokers, as well as renewed patient education efforts that dental health professionals can use towards advising and assisting smokers to quit.
Gum Disease Now Linked to Cancer
If a friend or family member has experienced pancreatic cancer, its deadly effects are readily apparent. The fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, pancreatic cancer kills more than 30,000 people a year. Often diagnosed at an already advanced stage, pancreatic cancer is often fatal within a few months. One of the major known risk factors is smoking, but now researchers have found links to other risk factors as well including obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and, yes – gum disease.
A follow-up study of health professionals actually produced the strongest association between pancreatic cancer and gum disease. With a study population of more than 51,000 men who worked in the health care profession in the U.S., a six-year follow-up period found that 216 participants had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Of that group, 67 also had gum disease.
After adjusting for age, smoking, diabetes, body mass index and additional factors, scientists concluded that gum disease produced a 63 percent increase in the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Even in people who had never smoked, the risk of pancreatic cancer was significantly higher among those with gum disease.
While the exact association isn’t yet known, researchers have speculated that the inflammation that accompanies gum disease may account for the link with pancreatic cancer. They also believe that an important role is played by the increased levels of oral bacteria and nitrosamine compounds found in the mouths of those who have gum disease. More investigation is likely, and already researchers suggest that these latest findings may prove to be valuable insights into risk factors for pancreatic cancer and into the mechanisms of development of the disease.
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