Don't skimp on the dentist!

Scientists from Queens University in Belfast have studied the relationship between oral health and the risk of a number of gastrointestinal cancers, including cancer of the liver, colon, rectum and pancreas.

Oral diseases are closely related to the risk of diseases such as stroke and diabetes. The existing data on the relationship between the occurrence of specific cancers of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract) and oral health are ambiguous and contradictory.

469,628 people participated in the study. The poor condition of the oral cavity was considered with the following symptoms: painful or bleeding gums, ulcers in the mouth and loose teeth.

The study did not confirm the dependence of the development of gastrointestinal oncological diseases on the poor condition of the oral cavity, but the relationship with the development of cancer of the hepatobiliary system was revealed.

Of the 469,628 participants, 4,069 developed gastrointestinal cancer during the six-year follow-up period. In 13% of these cases, patients complained of oral health problems. As a rule, these were young people, mostly women, who lived in disadvantaged socio-economic areas and consumed less than two servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

Currently, there are unknown biological mechanisms by which poor oral health may be more closely associated with liver cancer than with other oncological diseases of the digestive organs.

One theory explaining the higher risk of cancer due to poor oral health suggests that participants with more missing teeth consume softer and potentially less nutritious foods for convenience, which in turn affects the risk of liver cancer.

Scientists see another explanation for the development of diseases in the potential role of the microbiome of the oral cavity and, as a consequence, the intestine. The liver promotes the elimination of bacteria from the human body, and when affected by diseases such as hepatitis, cirrhosis or cancer, its functions are inhibited, and the bacteria survive longer and therefore cause more harm. For example, the bacterium Fusobacterium nucleatum occurs in the oral cavity and causes periodontitis and colon cancer, but its role in liver cancer is unclear. Therefore, further research is needed to study the microbiome and liver cancer, which is the sixth most common death in the EU, claiming the lives of almost 60,000 people a year, and approximately 9 out of 10 cases occur in people over 55 years old. The survival rate is only 11%. It is believed that up to half of liver cancer cases can be avoided, as risk factors are often associated with lifestyle (overweight or obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption).

Article by Jordão et al. The association between self-reported poor oral health and gastrointestinal cancer risk in the UK Biobank: A large prospective cohort study published in the United European Gastroenterology Journal.

Elena Panasyuk, portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru / based on the materials of United European Gastroenterology: Poor oral health linked to a 75% increase in liver cancer risk, new study finds.