Since your mouth serves as the gateway to the rest of your body, poor oral hygiene can manifest in ways that go far beyond tooth decay or gingivitis. Bad dental health can cause a long list of diseases elsewhere in your body, one of which may be pancreatic cancer.
This information is coming from a research team at the Harvard School of Public Health. According to their study, there is evidence that gum disease may be linked to pancreatic cancer. Specifically, there appears to be a relationship between the cancer and a form of gum disease known as periodontitis. This is the form of gum disease that afflicts the tissues supporting your teeth and leads to a loss of bone structure in your jaw. The group’s study indicated that men with a history of periodontitis were 64% more likely to develop malignant growths in the pancreas, compared to men who never had such gum disease. It remains whether this represents causation or correlation.
In either case, you can’t go wrong maintaining good oral health. Contact our South Seattle dentist to schedule your regular check up today.