Poor Oral Hygiene Tied to Cancer-Linked Virus

People whose teeth and gums are in poor condition may be more susceptible to an oral virus that can cause certain mouth and throat cancers, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that many adults, those who rated their oral health as "poor" to "fair" were more likely to have an oral infection with human papillomavirus (HPV), which, in certain cases, can eventually lead to cancer.

Overall, 10 percent of people with tooth or gum disease tested positive for oral HPV. That compared with 6.5 percent of those who rated their dental health as "good" to "excellent."

The results,  do not actually prove that diseased teeth and gums cause HPV infection.

Her team tried to account for other factors that could affect dental health or the odds of having HPV -- such as smoking or multiple oral sex partners. And poor oral health was still linked to a 56 percent increase in the risk of having oral HPV.

Still, she said, there are already plenty of reasons to take care of your teeth and gums. "Good oral health care is important for your health in general," she said. This study just offers some more incentive, she added.

HPV, which can cause genital and anal warts, is the most commonly transmitted sexual infection. Usually, the immune system clears the infection, but in some cases the virus persists in the body. And persistent infection with certain HPV strains can eventually lead to cancer -- with cervical cancer the best known.

HPV can also invade the mouth during oral sex. Those infections usually cause no symptoms, but a lingering infection with a cancer-linked strain can lead to oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the back of the throat, base of the tongue and tonsils.

It's a rare cancer, but cases tied to HPV are on the rise in the United States. No one knows why.

It's already known that poor oral hygiene is tied to a heightened risk of oropharyngeal cancer, even when smoking and heavy drinking -- two big risk factors for the cancer -- are taken into account.

But it has not been known whether dental health matters in the risk of oral HPV infection, she noted.

If unhealthy gums and teeth do raise the odds of oral HPV infection, it's not certain how. But she said it's possible that diseased gums offer an "entry portal" for the virus.

Fewer than 12,000 cases of oropharyngeal cancer occur among  each year. But it's thought that HPV causes nearly three-quarters of them. So preventing the infection is key to preventing the cancer.

There are two vaccines available against the most common cancer-linked strains of HPV (Gardasil and Cervarix). Experts advise vaccination for girls, boys and young adults.

Of course, that would not be of help to most of the people in this study, the majority of whom were aged 30 or older, said Dr.

Oral hygiene, on the other hand, is something we all can pay attention to, she noted. "Taking care of your teeth, taking care of your gums -- it makes sense," she said.

To help keep your mouth healthy, the  Dental Association recommends dental visits at regular intervals determined by your dentist.

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