According to a new research conducted, it was suggested that having severe gum disease along with human papillomavirus (HPV) may also have an increase risk of developing tongue cancer. While many studies in the past have found periodontitis as an active destroyer of the connective tissue and bone supporting the teeth, HPV can pose increased risks of cancer in the head, neck or tongue. The study also shows that an evidence of periodontitis-HPV synergy has important practical implications, because there is a safe treatment for periodontitis but no treatment for HPV infection. If the same results are confirmed by other studies, this has a tremendous relevance in predicting and intervening in the initiation and prognosis of HPV-related diseases, including head and neck cancers. Thus, the identification of factors that influence the persistence of HPV infection is critical to facilitate efforts to prevent head and neck cancers. The study moreover implicates that chronic inflammation and co-infection with oral bacteria may be significant factors in the natural history of HPV infection.
Apr 24