Fighting gum disease may aid the battle against breast cancer
Research into breast cancer continues to advance, and with it new areas of focus, awareness and prevention. As we mark National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is an opportune time to address a less well-known dimension of breast cancer: its link to gum disease.
Gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, afflicts more than 85% of America’s adult population, yet remains a “silent” disease out of the public spotlight. Despite the silence, years of research have found that the prognosis for gum disease does not end with tooth loss; it has been linked to a wide range of systemic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke — and breast cancer.
Postmenopausal women with gum disease had a 14% higher risk of developing breast cancer, according to a 2015 study led by Professor Jo Freudenheim of the University of Buffalo and published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The incidence was even higher for former smokers: 36% more women with periodontitis who had quit smoking within the last 20 years developed breast cancer. Nonsmokers had a 6% higher risk.
The conclusion: periodontal disease is associated with increased risk of breast cancer especially among smokers.
Freudenheim offered at least two plausible theories for the link: cumulative exposure of breast tissue to periodontal bacteria in the blood stream through brushing, flossing or chewing; or gum inflammation that could exacerbate other conditions in the body. Increasingly, researchers are finding that parts of the body thought to be sterile actually contain bacteria and microbes.
Of course, individual studies cannot establish a causal link, and more studies are welcome. Nonetheless, the evidence clearly points to a connection, underscoring why periodontal health should be a priority for all Americans, especially women with elevated risk for breast cancer.
It’s important to know that some periodontal procedures are more effective than others and individuals should keep this top-of-mind when choosing periodontal care. Numerous recent studies, for example, show that laser surgery procedures result in more positive outcomes — less painful, faster healing, and the regeneration of bone and tissue — than conventional surgery.
As science continues to advance and better understand the systemic connection between your oral health and total health, advances in dental technology and noninvasive laser surgical procedures have reduced the pain of treating periodontal disease with stable, long-term clinical outcomes.
More progress must be made to educate dentists and patients alike about these advances, and to work with insurance providers to improve patient coverage. Research must continue to advance as well.
But when it comes to fighting breast cancer, the more we know and the more proactive we are with our oral health, the better our total health. And the more hopeful we can be about the future.
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Huntington Beach resident DAWN M. GREGG is training director at the Institute for Advanced Laser Dentistry and vice President, operations, of Millennium Dental Technologies.