An international study has revealed strong associations between oral health and survival among people diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Specifically, better oral health, as evidenced by the number of natural teeth and dental visits prior to the time of diagnosis, was associated with increased survival. Importantly, those who had more frequent dental visits were more likely to have their cancer diagnosed at an earlier and less deadly stage of the disease than those who had few or no dental visits.
The study, by researchers at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and UNC Adams School of Dentistry and Moffitt Cancer Center in partnership with the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (Inhance) consortium, appeared September 19, 2023, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Jason Tasoulas, a PhD candidate and lead author, said, “The Inhance consortium’s patient data allowed us to be as thorough as possible and identify robust associations between oral health and survival. We assembled a diverse and experienced team to examine records of approximately 2,500 patients from eight countries to carry out our state-of-the-art statistical analyses.”
Head and neck cancer patients were asked to self-report aspects of their oral health and hygiene, including gum bleeding, tooth brushing frequency and mouthwash use, as well as the number of natural teeth and frequency of dental visits they had during a 10-year period prior to their cancer diagnosis.
Those who had frequent dental visits (more than five visits in a reported decade) had higher overall survival at five and 10 years (74 per cent and 60 per cent, respectively) compared to those with no dental visits (54 per cent at five years and 32 per cent at 10 years). This finding was most pronounced among people with cancers of the oropharynx, which consists of the structures in the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue, tonsils and soft palate. Having no natural remaining teeth was associated with a 15 per cent lower five-year overall survival compared to those with more than 20 natural teeth. Survival differences of less than five per cent, which were not significant, were found for patient-reported gum bleeding, tooth brushing and mouthwash use.
In the UK, according to data from Cancer Research UK, there are around 12,400 new head and neck cancer cases each day. It is the eighth most common cancer and accounts for three per cent of all new cancer cases. The main environmental risk factor for the disease is tobacco use, but alcohol consumption and testing positive for the human papillomavirus also increase a person’s risk for the disease.
Kimon Divaris, study author and a professor at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, said, “This current research effort capitalises on previous data collection efforts by our team in North Carolina through the Carolina Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology (Chance) study to investigate the role of oral health in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The present report is based on a larger-scale study, accounting for geographic variability and capturing more oral health variables.”
“Inspired by Kimon’s previous work, we sought out opportunities to collaborate with a larger network of epidemiologists, surgeons, physicians, dentists and scientists from all over the world to address an important but often overlooked problem for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma,” said corresponding author Antonio L. Amelio, vice chair of research in the head and neck oncology department.“Our hope is that these findings become a standard part of guidelines implemented for the prevention and management of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas in the near future.”
Carole Fakhry, a professor of otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research, said, “This is an important study that highlights the interplay between oral health and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and overall survival. While we seek biomarkers to predict which patient will do well, this study points out features of a history and examination that are associated with survival. Additionally, this may lead us down the road of prevention of these cancers.”