Breast cancer linked to perio disease and tooth loss
November 18, 2010 -- As the body of research linking periodontitis with a host of other disease states -- including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, surgical complications, and risk of fetal death -- a new study has added yet another to the list: breast cancer (Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, October 19, 2010).
"To our knowledge, this is the first study on the association between periodontitis and breast cancer," Birgitta Söder, DrMedSc, PhD, Lic Odont Sc, RDH, a professor emeritus at Karolinska Institute, told DrBicuspid.com
The American Cancer Society estimates 209,060 cases of invasive breast cancer in 2010, with more than 40,000 deaths. Breast cancer is rarer in men than women, accounting for less than 1% of breast cancer diagnoses, but both men and women should report any changes in breast tissue to their doctors.
“This is the first study on the association between periodontitis and breast cancer.”
— Birgitta Söder, DrMedSc, PhD,
Karolinska Institute Periodontal disease affects 15% to 35% of adults in industrialized countries. Most often caused by poor hygiene and bacterial infection, disease-active periodontitis also seems to be closely associated with human cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus co-infection. It is believed that these viruses act together to suppress immune response to bacterial challenges. Herpes viruses may also contribute to chronic periodontitis, leading the authors to conclude that these viruses and bacteria act together to lead to low-degree chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis.
"In severe periodontitis, probably there will be co-infection closely associated with a virus," Dr. Söder said.
The prospective study by Dr. Söder and colleagues followed 3,273 randomly selected subjects from 1985 to 2001 who were 30-40 years of age at baseline. At baseline, 1,676 individuals underwent a clinical oral examination (group A); 1,597 subjects were not clinically examined but were registered (group B).
In total, 26 subjects in group A and 15 subjects in group B had breast cancer. The incidence of breast cancer was 1.75% in subjects who had periodontal disease and/or any missing molars, and 0 in subjects who had periodontal disease but had no missing molars. For periodontally healthy subjects with no missing teeth, the breast cancer incidence was 1%. For group B, the incidence was 0.94%.
Of the subjects with periodontal disease and any missing molars in the mandible, 5.5% had breast cancer, compared with 0.5% of the subjects who had periodontal disease but no missing molars in the mandible (p < 0.02). Chronic periodontal disease indicated by missing molars seemed to associate statistically with breast cancer, the researchers concluded.
Smoking a risk factor?
The link between smoking and cancer has not been fully accounted for in many studies relating periodontal disease to cancer, according to Suellan Go Yao, DMD, and James Burke Fine, DMD, of Columbia University (Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry, July/August 2010, Vol. 31:6, pp. 436-444).
"Smoking is a known risk factor for many cancers as well as for periodontal disease and tooth loss," they wrote.
In the Karolinska study, the researchers controlled for smoking as a confounding variable by using multiple logistic regression and dichotomizing smokers into ever smokers (current and former smokers) and never smokers, and found no statistical difference between the two groups. Of the subjects with breast cancer, 42.8% were smokers, 17.9% were former smokers, and 39.3% had never smoked. These numbers were similar to the group with no breast cancer.
Similarly, a study by the American Association for Cancer Research also showed smoking to be a less significant variable than periodontal disease with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, September 2009, Vol. 18:9, pp. 2406-2412).
And in 2007, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found periodontal disease to be independently associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer overall, including in people who had never smoked (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, January 17, 2007, Vol. 99:2, pp. 171-175).
"Periodontitis in its advanced form can be viewed as a hyperinflammatory response to bacteria," Dr. Fine told DrBicuspid.com. "The byproducts of this oral inflammation enter the bloodstream and can create problems at distant sites. Inflammation may enhance cellular proliferation and mutagenesis, allowing for the development and spread of cancer."
Copyright © 2010 DrBicuspid.com
By: Erin Archer, R.N., DrBicuspid.com contributing writer
For more information on gum disease and its treatment please go to www.drjamesmiller.com/lanap.html
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Periodontal Disease and Sex Hormones
'Landmark' Study Points to Role of Sex Hormones in Higher Risk of Gum Disease in Men
TEXT SIZE By: University of Maryland Baltimore
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Newswise - Sex hormones may be the biological reason why men are at greater risk than women for destructive periodontitis, an infection of the gums, according to researchers at the University of Maryland Dental School.
To establish better management and risk assessment models for periodontal disease, Harlan Shiau, DDS, DMedSc, assistant professor, and Mark Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, professor at the Dental School, have published the first comprehensive review of gender differences in the development and progression of the destructive periodontal disease.
In a review paper in the Journal of Periodontology, the authors examine evidence for a biologic basis for a sexual dimorphism, or the differences in susceptibility, to periodontal disease between men and women. They conclude that sex steroids exert effects on multiple ways on the immune system regulation of inflammation. They also conclude that the root of the difference may be genetic.
"Differential gene regulation, particularly in sex steroid-responsive genes, could likely play a part in the observed sexual dimorphism of destructive periodontal disease," said Shiau.
"We think it is a plausible explanation," he added. The observation of men "having worse gum disease than women" was generally accepted by dental clinicians previously, says Shiau, "but we wondered if the traditional explanations were adequate. This study provides health care professionals with important comparative data for estimating gender-related differences in risk for destructive periodontal disease."
Prior to the current review paper, the researchers conducted a systematic review of published population studies on the prevalence of periodontal disease. In their analysis they established that men, indeed, have a greater prevalence of periodontal disease than women globally.
Shiau and Reynolds explored potential biologic explanations by drawing from the extensive body of literature in autoimmune disease research, where there also exists sexual dimorphism in disease prevalence.
"Also, we considered the competing hypothesis that the environment explains the dimorphism, such as the observation that men have worse oral hygiene and compliance than women. However, there exist population studies, which control for potential co-variants, like these, and have still yielded significant gender effects." Shiau explains.
"The innate immune response plays a considerable role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. The literature seems to indicate that a heightened innate immune response in men compared to women, as well as potential differences in regulation of amplification and termination of inflammation, provide a sound biologic basis for sex differences in periodontal disease progression," says Shiau.
Mark Reynolds is chair of the Dental School's Department of Periodontics.
For more information contact
www.drjamesmiller.com/lanap.html
TEXT SIZE By: University of Maryland Baltimore
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newswise - Sex hormones may be the biological reason why men are at greater risk than women for destructive periodontitis, an infection of the gums, according to researchers at the University of Maryland Dental School.
To establish better management and risk assessment models for periodontal disease, Harlan Shiau, DDS, DMedSc, assistant professor, and Mark Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, professor at the Dental School, have published the first comprehensive review of gender differences in the development and progression of the destructive periodontal disease.
In a review paper in the Journal of Periodontology, the authors examine evidence for a biologic basis for a sexual dimorphism, or the differences in susceptibility, to periodontal disease between men and women. They conclude that sex steroids exert effects on multiple ways on the immune system regulation of inflammation. They also conclude that the root of the difference may be genetic.
"Differential gene regulation, particularly in sex steroid-responsive genes, could likely play a part in the observed sexual dimorphism of destructive periodontal disease," said Shiau.
"We think it is a plausible explanation," he added. The observation of men "having worse gum disease than women" was generally accepted by dental clinicians previously, says Shiau, "but we wondered if the traditional explanations were adequate. This study provides health care professionals with important comparative data for estimating gender-related differences in risk for destructive periodontal disease."
Prior to the current review paper, the researchers conducted a systematic review of published population studies on the prevalence of periodontal disease. In their analysis they established that men, indeed, have a greater prevalence of periodontal disease than women globally.
Shiau and Reynolds explored potential biologic explanations by drawing from the extensive body of literature in autoimmune disease research, where there also exists sexual dimorphism in disease prevalence.
"Also, we considered the competing hypothesis that the environment explains the dimorphism, such as the observation that men have worse oral hygiene and compliance than women. However, there exist population studies, which control for potential co-variants, like these, and have still yielded significant gender effects." Shiau explains.
"The innate immune response plays a considerable role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. The literature seems to indicate that a heightened innate immune response in men compared to women, as well as potential differences in regulation of amplification and termination of inflammation, provide a sound biologic basis for sex differences in periodontal disease progression," says Shiau.
Mark Reynolds is chair of the Dental School's Department of Periodontics.
For more information contact
www.drjamesmiller.com/lanap.html
Gum Disease and Prostitis Link
News in Brief
Prostatitis Linked to Periodontitis
Delicia Honen YardJune 10, 2010 Print Email Reprint Permissions
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Men with the most severe form of prostatitis also showed signs of periodontitis, raising the possibility that the inflammation characterizing the two conditions may be related. In an online report publish in the Journal of Periodontology, Nabil F. Bassada, DDS, MSD, of Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland, and colleagues noted that in their small study of 35 men, those with moderate or severe prostatitis and poor periodontal health had significantly higher mean PSA levels than those with neither or only one condition.
For more information concerning periodontal disease and the LANAP procedure to treat the disease go to www.drjamesmiller.com/lanap.html
Prostatitis Linked to Periodontitis
Delicia Honen YardJune 10, 2010 Print Email Reprint Permissions
More In Urology•Cardiovascular Events Halt Study of Testosterone Gel
•New Varicocele Technique Shows Promise
•Research on a New Drug For Nocturia Advances
•Robotic Pyeloplasty Has Advantages
•CT Preferred for Defining Adrenal Masses
Men with the most severe form of prostatitis also showed signs of periodontitis, raising the possibility that the inflammation characterizing the two conditions may be related. In an online report publish in the Journal of Periodontology, Nabil F. Bassada, DDS, MSD, of Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland, and colleagues noted that in their small study of 35 men, those with moderate or severe prostatitis and poor periodontal health had significantly higher mean PSA levels than those with neither or only one condition.
For more information concerning periodontal disease and the LANAP procedure to treat the disease go to www.drjamesmiller.com/lanap.html
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Possible Link Between Gum Disease and Alzheimer's
Gum disease may increase Alzheimer’s risk
New research finds that periodontal disease may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, brain inflammation, and neurodegeneration. (Credit: iStockphoto)
NYU (US)—Periodontal (gum) disease may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer’s disease in healthy individuals as well as in those who already are cognitively impaired.
Researchers examined 20 years of data and found fresh evidence that links gum disease to brain inflammation, neurodegeneration, and Alzheimer’s disease.
“The research suggests that cognitively normal subjects with periodontal inflammation are at an increased risk of lower cognitive function compared to cognitively normal subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation,” says Angela. Kamer, assistant professor of periodontology and implant dentistry at New York University.
The study builds on earlier research that found that subjects with Alzheimer’s disease had a significantly higher level of antibodies and inflammatory molecules associated with periodontal disease in their plasma compared to healthy people.
The latest findings are based on an analysis of data on periodontal inflammation and cognitive function in 152 subjects in the Glostrop Aging Study, which has been gathering medical, psychological, oral health, and social data on Danish men and women.
Kamer’s team compared cognitive function at ages 50 and 70, using the Digit Symbol Test, or DST, a part of the standard measurement of adult IQ. The DST assesses how quickly subjects can link a series of digits.
Periodontal inflammation at age 70 was found to be strongly associated with lower DST scores at age 70. Subjects with periodontal inflammation were nine times more likely to test in the lower range of the DST compared to subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation.
This strong association held true—even in those subjects who had other risk factors linked to lower DST scores, including obesity, cigarette smoking, and tooth loss unrelated to gum inflammation—and also for those who had a low DST score at age 50.
Kamer plans to conduct a follow-up study involving a larger, more ethnically diverse group of subjects, to further examine the connection between periodontal disease and low cognition.
Researchers from Copenhagen University contributed to the study.
For more information concerning gum disease and the latest treatment go to www.drjamesmiller.com/lanap.html
New research finds that periodontal disease may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, brain inflammation, and neurodegeneration. (Credit: iStockphoto)
NYU (US)—Periodontal (gum) disease may increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction associated with Alzheimer’s disease in healthy individuals as well as in those who already are cognitively impaired.
Researchers examined 20 years of data and found fresh evidence that links gum disease to brain inflammation, neurodegeneration, and Alzheimer’s disease.
“The research suggests that cognitively normal subjects with periodontal inflammation are at an increased risk of lower cognitive function compared to cognitively normal subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation,” says Angela. Kamer, assistant professor of periodontology and implant dentistry at New York University.
The study builds on earlier research that found that subjects with Alzheimer’s disease had a significantly higher level of antibodies and inflammatory molecules associated with periodontal disease in their plasma compared to healthy people.
The latest findings are based on an analysis of data on periodontal inflammation and cognitive function in 152 subjects in the Glostrop Aging Study, which has been gathering medical, psychological, oral health, and social data on Danish men and women.
Kamer’s team compared cognitive function at ages 50 and 70, using the Digit Symbol Test, or DST, a part of the standard measurement of adult IQ. The DST assesses how quickly subjects can link a series of digits.
Periodontal inflammation at age 70 was found to be strongly associated with lower DST scores at age 70. Subjects with periodontal inflammation were nine times more likely to test in the lower range of the DST compared to subjects with little or no periodontal inflammation.
This strong association held true—even in those subjects who had other risk factors linked to lower DST scores, including obesity, cigarette smoking, and tooth loss unrelated to gum inflammation—and also for those who had a low DST score at age 50.
Kamer plans to conduct a follow-up study involving a larger, more ethnically diverse group of subjects, to further examine the connection between periodontal disease and low cognition.
Researchers from Copenhagen University contributed to the study.
For more information concerning gum disease and the latest treatment go to www.drjamesmiller.com/lanap.html
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