title: Chronic periodontitis and the incidence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: Substantial evidence supports an association between chronic infections/inflammation, and cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of chronic periodontitis on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The study population consisted of new patients at the Department of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Prosthetics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute between 1999 and 2005. Cases were patients diagnosed with primary HNSCC. Controls were all patients seen during the same time period but negative for malignancy. Patients age <21 years, edentulous, immunocompromised, and those with history of cancer were excluded. Periodontitis was measured by alveolar bone loss (ABL) from panoramic radiographs by one examiner blind to cancer status. A total of 473 patients (266 cases and 207 controls) were included in the study. Each millimeter of ABL was associated with >4-fold increased risk of HNSCC (odds ratio, 4.36; 95% confidence interval, 3.16-6.01) after adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, smoking status, alcohol use, and missing teeth. The strength of the association was greatest in the oral cavity, followed by oropharynx and larynx. The association persisted in subjects who never used tobacco and alcohol. There was a significant interaction between smoking and ABL (P = 0.03). Patients with periodontitis were more likely to have poorly differentiated oral cavity SCC than those without periodontitis (32.8% versus 11.5%; P = 0.038). This study suggests that chronic periodontitis is an independent risk factor for HNSCC and smoking modifies this association. These results have implications for practical and safe strategies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HNSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14214, USA. mtezal@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Mine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tezal
authors.forename: Maureen A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hyland
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stoler
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Thom R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Loree
authors.forename: Nestor R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Rigual
authors.forename: Mihai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Merzianu
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hauck
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lillis
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wactawski-Wende
authors.forename: Frank A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Scannapieco
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D055113:Chronic Periodontitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018307:Neoplasms, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology