Over the last few months I have written two articles for publication in the media. I was motivated to do this by an article I saw in the AARP magazine on how to live to 100. One brief paragraph referred to gum disease causing inflammation and infection and how bad that was for all of the body systems. I have known about how much damage inflammation and infection in the mouth can do to the heart but I was not aware of the cancer connection. My patients were being told about the heart connection when they came in for a visit. I have come to realize that this was such valuable life saving information that everyone needed to be informed. The word needed to be spread. My research began on the topic on the internet and continued with personal contacts with several people I know that are knowledgeable in the area. To my suprise I found many obscure studies. The published research was not meant for the public and was written in scientific and technical terms. I did my best to translate and digest it. Then I put the most important items into English that everyone could easily understand and proceeded to write my article.
The result of this work has shown some scary numbers. For example, the presence of gum disease can increase the rates of cancer, stroke and heart attacks. Heart disease increased by 18%, and all cancers combined increased by 14%. Lung disease, diabetes, liver disease and many others life-threatening diseases were found at a significantly higher rate when gum disease was present. I was startled to see in one study that head and neck cancers rose dramatically in men with advanced gum disease.
The source of the connection appears to be inflammation, which can be measured by the C-reactive protein levels in the blood. When inflammation and infection are present as in gum disease, or other diseases for that matter, the liver produces a host of agents that are harmful for every organ system in the body. Details are in the article which I urge you to read. It is a startling report that talks about large increases in the incidence of many cancers, such as lung and blood cell cancers. Men with gum disease have a 63% higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, a very deadly form of the disease. I did not know until I completed this project that for each 1 mm of bone loss around the teeth the risk of head and neck cancer increases four times. This is bad news for those not taking care of their gums.
We now give the full report to all my patients and it will be published on the Internet. I hope my work will do a little good. I had a brilliant young Encino attorney friend that died of cancer of the tongue that was not detected untill it was too late. I am thinking of him as I write this. An oral cancer exam by the dentist or dental hygienest is so critical and is a mandatory part of a general dental exam. It is done at each visit in my office. I have a section on this exam on my web site. To be fair, I must say all of the studies put in disclaimers and noted that someday these studies may be proven wrong. For now please have your mouth checked for oral cancer and gum disease. It’s on me, free at my Encino dental office.
I have looked at many other dental blogs and newsletters. Some are on very technical dental subject such as implants and others often talk about cosmetic dentstry. I realize people prefer the up beat smile news. I am sorry if I have spoiled your day with this blog but this is information I think you need to know. It might just save your life.
Tip of the Day: When we hound you to come in for a “cleaning” think of that 63% increase in pancreatic cancer in men when advanced gum disease is present. Then go ahead and make the appointment. Best regards, AM
