Abstract
Background: While evidence is increasingly consistent with a positive association between periodontitis and cancer risk, most studies have relied on self-reported periodontitis. In this study, we prospectively evaluated the association of periodontal disease severity with cancer risk in black and white older adults in a cohort study that included a dental examination. Methods: Included were 7466 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study cohort who at visit 4 (1996-1998) reported being edentulous or underwent the dental examination. Probing depth and gingival recession were measured at six sites on all teeth; these measurements were used to define periodontal disease severity. Incident cancers (n=1648) and cancer deaths (n=547) were ascertained during a median of 14.7 years of follow-up. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: An increased risk of total cancer (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07 to 1.44, Ptrend = .004) was observed for severe periodontitis (>30% of sites with attachment loss >3 mm) compared with no/mild periodontitis (<10% of sites with attachment loss >3 mm), adjusting for smoking and other factors. Strong associations were observed for lung cancer (HR=2.33, 95% CI=1.51 to 3.60, Ptrend < .001), and elevated risks were noted for colorectal cancer for severe periodontitis, which were significant among never smokers (HR=2.12, 95% CI=1.00 to 4.47). Associations were generally weaker, or not apparent among black participants, except for lung and colorectal cancers, where associations were similar by race. No associations were observed for breast, prostate, or hematopoietic and lymphatic cancer risk. Conclusions: This study provides additional evidence that cancer risk, especially for lung and colorectal cancer, is elevated in individuals with periodontitis. Additional research is needed to understand cancer site-specific and racial differences in findings.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 843-854 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of the National Cancer Institute |
| Volume | 110 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Dr. Michaud’s research is supported by National Cancer Institute (NCI) R01 CA166150. Studies on cancer in Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) are also supported by the NCI (U01 CA164975). This research was additionally supported by an NCI Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA006973). The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Health and Human Services, under the following contract numbers: HHSN268201700001I, HHSN268201700003I, HHSN268201700005I, HHSN268201700004I, HHSN268201700002I.
Funding Information:
Cancer incidence data have been provided by the Maryland Cancer Registry, Center for Cancer Surveillance and Control, Maryland Department of Health, 201 W. Preston Street, Room 400, Baltimore, MD 21201. We acknowledge the State of Maryland, the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund, and the National Program of Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the funds that helped support the availability of the cancer registry data.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
