Investigating the association between oral hygiene and head and neck cancer.
OBJECTIVE
This analysis examined the association between oral hygiene and head and neck cancer (HNC) and whether this association differed by the consumption of alcohol, betel quid, or cigarette and by the genetic polymorphisms of inflammation-related genes.


METHODS
Interviews regarding dental care and oral health were conducted with 317 HNC cases and 296 controls. Genotyping was performed for 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms in IL6, IL10 and PTGS2.


RESULTS
A positive association was observed between HNC and no regular dental visits (odds ratio (OR)=2.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.47-5.57), brushing teeth <2times/day (OR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.02-2.23), frequent gum bleeding (OR=3.15, 95% CI: 1.36-7.28), and loss of >20 teeth (OR=2.31, 95% CI: 1.05-5.07). Analysis with dental care score (range: 0-4, 4=worst dental care), which combined regular dental visits, toothbrushing, and use of dental floss and mouthwash, showed a positive trend with HNC risk, particularly among alcohol drinkers and cigarette smokers. Multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis divided the study subjects into high- and low-risk group based on combinations of dental care score and IL6 rs1800796 genotypes. Compared to the low-risk group, the high-risk group had an OR of HNC=2.16 (95% CI: 1.44-3.25).


CONCLUSIONS
This study observed a positive association between poor oral hygiene and HNC, which appeared to differ by alcohol or cigarette consumption and the genotypes of IL6 rs1800796. Further investigations are needed to determine whether poor oral hygiene is a cause for HNC or a surrogatemarker of an unhealthy lifestyle that increases the risk of HNC.
National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan, Taiwan.
Jeffrey S
JS
Chang
Hung-I
HI
Lo
Tung-Yiu
TY
Wong
Cheng-Chih
CC
Huang
Wei-Ting
WT
Lee
Sen-Tien
ST
Tsai
Ken-Chung
KC
Chen
Chia-Jui
CJ
Yen
Yuan-Hua
YH
Wu
Wei-Ting
WT
Hsueh
Ming-Wei
MW
Yang
Shang-Yin
SY
Wu
Kwang-Yu
KY
Chang
Jang-Yang
JY
Chang
Chun-Yen
CY
Ou
Yi-Hui
YH
Wang
Ya-Ling
YL
Weng
Han-Chien
HC
Yang
Fang-Ting
FT
Wang
Chen-Lin
CL
Lin
Jehn-Shyun
JS
Huang
Jenn-Ren
JR
Hsiao
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D064424:Tobacco Use / Q000453:epidemiology
D015850:Interleukin-6
Head and neck cancer; Interleukin-6; Oral hygiene