Does Dental Plaque Increase Your Risk Of Cancer?

Sedaros Oral Facial Surgery & Dental Implants wants to share research that may connect poor oral hygiene to an increased risk of cancer and premature death. “Among healthy adults in Sweden plaque build-up increased the relative risk of premature death 79 percent, Birgitta Söder, PhD, of the Karolinska Institutet in Huddinge, Sweden, and colleagues reported in BMJ Open,” WorldHealth.com reported.

The finding of this study showed that an increase in plaque was associated with toxins and enzymes that may be released from the built-up and enter the bloodstream through the gingival crevice, which increases the risk of malignancies.

“Over the 24-year study period, 58 patients died, including 35 deaths due to malignancies. Individuals still alive at the end of follow-up had a significantly lower dental plaque index than those who died. After multiple logistic regression analysis, Söder and colleagues found age, male gender, as well as the amount of dental plaque were principal independent predictors of mortality at follow-up. Age and male gender almost doubled the risk of dying prematurely. They also added that there was a significant difference between the dead and living patients regarding the amount of dental plaque, gingival inflammation, and dental calculus. The patients who had died had a poorer dental status than those patients who were still living,” WorldHealth.com explained.

Although the research on this connection will continue, you should take all the steps necessary to achieve good oral hygiene, reduce the plaque on your teeth and other dental problems. Dr. Sedaros is here to help you with any dental concerns you may have so please feel free to give us a call and schedule an appointment!