Association of Periodontal Disease to Gastrointestinal Carcinoma

Recent studies suggest biologically plausible mechanisms linking periodontal disease to the pathogenesis of selected carcinomas. Objective: The present study examined the relationship of periodontal disease to gastrointestinal carcinoma in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA). Methods: Panoramic radiographs were available for 140 men and 156 women (mean ± SD age: 53.5 ± 16.5 and 57.5 ± 16.8, respectively). Alveolar bone loss was scored as none, slight, moderate, or severe based on radiographic assessment of crestal bone height (excluding 3rd molars). For purposes of analysis, alveolar bone loss was dichotomized as none-slight and moderate-severe. Data were analyzed using Chi Square analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression model, adjusting for age. Results: Men were found to exhibit radiographic evidence of more advanced (moderate-severe) alveolar bone loss compared to women (15.0% vs. 34.6%, respectively, p ≤ 0.05) but retained a comparable number of teeth (24.8 ± 5.3 vs. 24.0 ± 5.3, respectively). A total of 5 patients were diagnosed with gastrointestinal carcinoma during the study period. Four of the 5 cases presented radiographic evidence of moderate-severe alveolar bone loss at baseline. The relative risk of developing carcinoma was 1.05 (0.99 — 1.11) and a hazard ratio of 13.3 (p=0.0210) in the unadjusted Cox model and 6.18 (p=0.116), when adjusted by age. Conclusions: Findings from the BLSA indicate that persons with advanced alveolar bone loss may be at increased risk for developing gastrointestinal carcinoma.