Newsletter
HOUSTON, USA: Although human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been increasingly associated with a rising number of cancers of the oropharynx worldwide, no study has examined the role of oral health in oral HPV infection to date. Now, researchers from the U.S. have found that people with poor oral health and those with an oral disease are significantly more likely to contract oral HPV infections.
The study involved 3,439 participants aged 30 to 69 for whom data on oral HPV and oral health were available from the nationally representative 2009–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. By analyzing the data, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that study participants who reported poor oral health had a 56 percent higher prevalence of oral HPV infection. Those with periodontal disease or related dental problems had a 51 percent and a 28 percent higher prevalence, respectively. In addition, the researchers found a link between the number of teeth lost and oral HPV infection.
The findings suggest that poor oral health is an independent risk factor of oral HPV infection, irrespective of smoking and oral sex practices, the scientist said. "Public health interventions may aim to promote oral hygiene and oral health as an additional measure to prevent HPV-related oral cancers," they concluded. However, further research is needed to provide a better understanding of this relationship.
According to the researchers, oral HPV infection is the cause of 40 to 80 percent of oropharyngeal cancers. Oropharyngeal cancer was a relatively uncommon cancer, traditionally associated with heavy tobacco smoking and heavy alcohol consumption. However, over the past few decades, its occurrence has increased dramatically in many parts of the world, especially in Europe and North America, and in young adults in particular. Previous studies have already suggested that this increase is due to the growing number of HPV infections.
The study, titled "Examining the Association Between Oral Health and Oral HPV Infection," was published online on Aug. 21 in the Cancer Prevention Research journal ahead of print.
