Gum Disease Tied to Cancer Risk in Older Women

Periodontal disease in older women is associated with an increased risk for cancer, a new study concludes.

Previous studies have suggested a link, but this new analysis, in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers Prevention, offers additional evidence on specific cancers.

Researchers followed more than 65,000 women, average age 68, participating in a larger health study. They gathered information on periodontal disease with self-reports, and over an average of eight years of follow-up, they found 7,149 cancers.

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The study controlled for race, age, family history of cancer, smoking and other variables. Gum disease was associated with an overall 14 percent increased risk for cancer, and a 12 percent increase even in women who never smoked.

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