Cancer and the Oral Systemic Link

By Margarita Rivera, RDH, MSDH, Dhivya Coleman, RDH and Paola Henriquez, RDH

Oral health is essential to overall health, and systemic diseases and their treatment often cause significant oral manifestations. Conversely, oral infections may raise the risk of morbidities, including cancer. A correlation between periodontal diseases and various cancers has been found, and research is ongoing. A meta-analysis showed a statistically significant association between periodontal diseases and all cancers, both combined and individually. The cancers studied included gastrointestinal, pancreatic, prostate, breast, corpus uteri, lung, hematological, esophageal/oropharyngeal, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.3 Through interprofessional collaboration, healthcare professionals can play a vital role in the prevention of oral and systemic disease by identifying early signs and symptoms, which may improve the overall health of their patients.

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
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