TONGUE CANCER - LINK TO PERIODONTITIS

A report in the archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery adds tongue cancer to list of conditions associated with chronic periodontitis.

A report in the archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 2007;133:450-54 indicated that the list of conditions associated with chronic periodontitis was growing with tongue cancer being a further addition to that list. A case revealed that for every millimeter of alveolar bone loss there was a fivefold increase in the risk of cancer, after accounting for known risks such as age, smoking status and number of teeth.

The study is apparently the first to publish evidence of a possible association between a history of chronic periodontitis and tongue cancer which is independent of smoking. Previous studies have indicated an association between chronic infection and increased cancer risk. However, it was not clear whether periodontal disease bacteria might have had a direct effect that increased the risk of tongue cancer or whether an indirect effect (inflammation) may have been the reason.