How brushing your teeth lowers your risk of cancer

 

HPV-caused throat cancer made headlines this summer when the Guardian reported that actor Michael Douglas contracted throat cancer not through tobacco and alcohol, but from human papillomavirus.

Douglas later said the statement was a misunderstanding, but doctors say HPV could actually contribute to malignant growths in the throat, most likely via oral sex. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control reports that about 60% of oropharyngeal cancers — cancers of the throat, tonsils and the base of tongue — are related to HPV.

Now, a study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research reports that poor oral health, which includes dental problems and gum disease, is an independent risk factor for oral HPV infection, and by extension, could also contribute to oral cancers. The research team from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston studied more 3,400 participants between the ages 30 to 69 who were part of the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The volunteers provided data on their oral health as well as on their HPV-infection status.

 

Those who reported poor oral health had a 56% higher rate of HPV infection than those whose mouths were healthy, and people who had gum disease and dental problems had a 51% higher risk of being infected with HPV than those who didn't have these issues.

The connection between the virus, which is most often associated with sexually transmitted diseases, and oral cancers only emerged about five years ago, Dr. Maura Gillison, a professor at Ohio State University who studies HPV infections in the head, throat and neck, told TIME in June.

Every year in the United States, more than 2,370 new cases of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers are diagnosed in women and about 9,356 are diagnosed in men. White men have the highest rates of HPV-related throat cancer, fueling a recent rise in HPV-related oral cancers overall while tumors associated with tobacco have been declining.

"In the U.S., there is an active shift going on," Gillison told TIME. "Fortunately thanks to tobacco policy and public-health awareness, the incidence rate for the classical head and neck cancer caused by smoking is declining. But unfortunately, the rate of oropharynx cancer is still going up and it's because of the HPV component."

Some of that rise can be attributed to barriers that public health campaigns faced in addressing a sexually transmitted virus. When two vaccines that protect against the most common forms of HPV became available after 2006, for example, political and social resistance to vaccinating young girls as part of the childhood vaccination schedule led to slow uptake of the inoculation.

Parents and politicians worried that the shot would promote promiscuity among pre-adolescents, and were also concerned about reports that the immunizations caused serious side effects such as fainting. There were even claims that they also contributed to mental disorders. Both proved unfounded, as studies verified the safety of the vaccines and the lack of heightened sexual activity among vaccinated girls.

If left untreated, HPV can cause cancers in the cervix, anus, penis, vulva, vagina, as well as in the head and neck. Some forms of the virus also contribute to genital warts, but the latest studies suggest that the HPV vaccines can lower infection rates and therefore may be important weapons in fighting not just cervical cancer but oral cancers as well.

That's important since there is currently no scientifically proven way of testing for oral HPV, which makes monitoring for these virus-related cancers in the mouth more challenging and preventing them more critical.

New cancer screening guidelines include HPV tests 

Even without a shot, however, the researchers say their results hint that it may be relatively easy to control HPV in the oropharynx — by brushing regularly and keeping the mouth environment clean.

"The good news is, the risk factor is modifiable -- by maintaining good oral hygiene and good oral health, one can prevent HPV infection and subsequent HPV-related cancers," said study author Thanh Cong Bui, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in a statement.

And there are other benefits to brushing as well. Good oral health may also prevent other conditions such as the gum disease gingivitis, which has been linked to heart disease. A healthy mouth, it seems can also be a sign of a healthy body.

reference: By Alexandra Sifferlin, TIME.com

 

The piercing truth about oral jewelry

Some people like the personal image created by body piercing. Oral piercings might look cool, but they can be dangerous to your health.

Your mouth contains millions of bacteria, and infection and swelling often occur with mouth piercings.

You might not realize that your mouth and tongue could swell so much that it closes off your airway, or you could choke if part of the jewelry breaks off in your mouth. In some cases, you could crack a tooth if you bite down too hard on the piercing, and repeated clicking of the jewelry against teeth can also cause damage. Oral piercings also could lead to more serious infections, such as hepatitis or endocarditis.

If you pierce your tongue, lips, cheeks or uvula — the tiny tissue that hangs at the back of the throat — it can interfere with speech, chewing or swallowing.

Here are some other problems caused by piercing: 

Infection, pain and swelling 

Your mouth is a moist environment, home to a huge amount of breeding bacteria and an ideal place for infection. An infection quickly can become life threatening if not treated promptly. 

Damage to teeth and gums 

A common habit of biting or playing with the piercing can injure your gums and lead to cracked, scratched or sensitive teeth. Piercings also can damage fillings. 

Nerve damage 

After a piercing, you might experience a numb tongue caused by nerve damage that usually is temporary but sometimes can be permanent. The injured nerve might affect your sense of taste or how you move your mouth. 

Excessive drooling 

Your tongue piercing can lead to increased saliva production and excessive drooling. Not cool at the dinner table. 

Difficulties at the dental office 

The jewelry can get in the way of dental care by blocking X-rays and making it difficult to perform certain procedures.

Of course, the best option is to consider removing mouth jewelry before it causes a problem. But if you already have piercings, you should be sure to contact your dentist or physician immediately if you have any signs of infection — swelling, pain, fever, chills, shaking or a red-streaked appearance around the site of the piercing. 

If you already have piercings 

It’s important to keep the piercing site clean and free of anything that might collect on the jewelry by using a mouth rinse after every meal. Avoid clicking the jewelry against teeth. Be gentle and aware of the jewelry’s movement when talking and chewing.  

Check the tightness of your jewelry periodically — with clean hands. This can help prevent you from swallowing or choking if the jewelry becomes dislodged. When playing sports, remove the jewelry and protect your mouth with a mouth guard. See your dentist regularly and remember to brush twice a day and floss daily.

These are just some of the complications related to oral piercings. So, although they might seem like a fun way to express yourself, oral piercings are not without risks. Before deciding to go this route, consider the possible effects such a choice can have on your oral and overall health. 

Reference:  West Michigan District Dental Society 

 

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Shark Teeth Have Built-In Toothpaste

THE GIST

- The outside of shark teeth is made up of fluoride, the active component of most toothpaste.

- Although human teeth are covered in a different mineral, both shark and human teeth are equally hard.

- Sharks never get cavities, and are able to replace their teeth multiple times throughout their lives.

An in-depth look at shark teeth has found that they contain fluoride, the active ingredient of most toothpaste and dental care mouthwashes.

It helps to explain why sharks are so effective at either tearing or cutting prey. Their teeth are perfectly designed for such tasks, never suffering from cavities, according to the study, recently published in the Journal of Structural Biology,



A close look at shark teeth found them full of flouride as well as a bit more flexible than previously imagined.

NEWS: Shark Paradise Found 

While shark teeth contain the mineral fluoroapatite (fluorinated calcium phosphate), the teeth of humans and other mammals contain hydroxyapatite, which is an inorganic constituent also found in bone, explained co-author Matthias Epple.

"In order to make teeth more acid resistant, toothpaste often contains fluoride," Epple, a professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of Duisburg-Essen, told Discovery News. "In the surface of human teeth after brushing, a small amount -- much less than 1 percent -- of hydroxide is exchanged by fluoride."

"In contrast," he added, "(the surface of) shark teeth contains 100 percent fluoride. In principle, sharks should not suffer from caries. As they live in water and as they change their teeth regularly, dental protection should not be a problem for sharks."

For the study, Epple and colleagues Joachim Enax, Oleg Prymak and Dierk Raabe used a multitude of high tech investigative techniques, including scanning electron micrographs, to look at the teeth of two different sharks: the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) and the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). These sharks were chosen because of their different eating habits. Shortfin makos tear the flesh of prey, while tiger sharks cut flesh.

Despite these differences, the teeth of the both sharks were found to have a similar chemical and crystalline composition. In addition to the highly mineralized enamel exterior, the interior of shark teeth was determined to contain a soft material known as "dentin," which contains more protein and is more elastic. Human teeth also have dentin.

Mechanical measurements and tests on the micro and nano-scales determined that shark teeth are not harder than human teeth.

"This finding is surprising, because the mineral fluoroapatite is harder than the mineral hydroxyapatite, so if a tooth were to consist of the mineral alone, a shark tooth would be harder than a human tooth," Epple said. "It seems as if the human tooth makes up for the less hard mineral by the special arrangement of the enamel crystals and the protein matrix, and ends up being as hard as a shark tooth."

SHARK WEEK: Don't Miss the 25th Anniversary of Shark Week

Andrew Gillis, a Dalhousie University biologist, told Discovery News that the new study "nicely shows how we can see beautiful evidence of adaptation from the level of whole organs all the way down to the nano scale in the chemical nature and organization of crystals within tooth tissues. This sort of work really addresses, at the most fundamental level, how teeth have evolved to deal with the remarkable stresses that they endure in nature."

Peter Fratzl, a professor at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, told Discovery News that he was interested to learn that shark teeth are covered with the mineral fluoroapatite.

"It is quite interesting to see that this repeats a very similar and very recent observation about the crayfish mandible, which also turns out to be covered with fluoroapatite although the two species, shark and crayfish, are totally unrelated, but both living under water."

Fratzl said it's possible that fluoroapatite coatings are much less water soluble than hydroxyapatite and are therefore "more stable in water and more resistant against bacterial attack."

In addition to the unique structure of their teeth, sharks also have the handy ability to replace their teeth several times during their lives. This is not due to cavities, but rather because their teeth sometimes wind up stuck in prey or are otherwise forced out.

 

REFERENCE:

Discovery News

By Jennifer Viegas

 

Humans do not have Shark teeth. If you want to keep your teeth as healthy as possible brush, floss, watch your diet and come visit our office for a complete evaluation.

 

Throat / Oral Cancer and HPV - what are the risks?

Michael Douglas - the star of Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction – has revealed that his throat cancer was apparently caused by performing oral sex.

In a surprisingly frank interview with the Guardian, the actor explained the background to a condition that was thought to be nearly fatal when diagnosed three years ago. Asked whether he now regretted his years of smoking and drinking, usually thought to be the cause of the disease, Douglas replied: "No. Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus."

The actor, now 68, was diagnosed with cancer in August 2010, following many months of oral discomfort. But a series of specialists missed the tumor and instead prescribed antibiotics. Douglas then went to see a friend's doctor in Montreal who looked inside his mouth using a tongue depressor.

"I will always remember the look on his face," Douglas has previously said. "He said: 'We need a biopsy.' There was a walnut-size tumor at the base of my tongue that no other doctor had seen."

Shortly afterwards he was diagnosed with stage four cancer, which is often terminal, and embarked on an intensive eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiation. He refused to use a feeding tube, despite his palate being burnt on account of the treatment, and so lost 20kg (45lb) on a liquids-only diet. "That's a rough ride. That can really take it out of you," he told the Guardian. "Plus the amount of chemo I was getting, it zaps all the good stuff too. It made me very weak."

The treatment worked and Douglas is now more than two years clear of cancer. He has check-ups every six months, he said, "and with this kind of cancer, 95% of the time it doesn't come back".

HPV, the sexually transmitted virus best known as a cause of cervical and anal cancer and genital warts, is thought to be responsible for an increasing proportion of oral cancers.

Mahesh Kumar, a consultant head and neck surgeon in London, confirmed that the last decade has seen a dramatic rise in this form of cancer, particularly among younger sufferers. Recent studies of 1,316 patients with oral cancer found that 57% of them were HPV-16 positive.

"It has been established beyond reasonable doubt that the HPV type 16 is the causative agent in oropharyngeal cancer," said Kumar, who also testified to increased recovery rates among this kind of cancer sufferer. This would help explain why Douglas was given an 80% chance of survival, despite the advanced stage of his illness.

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Our dental office offers the OraRisk^® HPV Salivary Diagnostic Test and VELscope® Oral Cancer Screening


OraRisk^® HPV Salivary Diagnostic Test

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common virus groups in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 20 million people in the United States are infected with HPV and there are approximately 6 million new cases
each year.

Oral HPV is a manifestation of the HPV virus in the mouth, and is primarily found in the oropharyngeal complex. Specific types of oral HPV are now considered to be separate and serious risk factor for developing oral cancers. Early detection and identification of the presence or absence of oral HPV is important, as early oral HPV infections do not typically cause any clinical signs or symptoms.

The OraRisk^® HPV test is a non-invasive, easy-to-use screening tool to identify the type(s) of oral HPV, a mucosal viral infection that could potentially lead to oral cancer. OraRisk^® HPV enables the clinician to establish increased risk for oral cancer and determine appropriate referral and monitoring conditions.


VELscope® Oral Cancer Screening    

Oral cancer is often deemed the “forgotten disease,” because it kills more people than testicular cancer, cervical cancer and cancer of the brain each year and receives little publicity in return.  Each year, over 30,000 Americans contract oral cancer, and only 57% of these people will live for more than five years without treatment.

 

Many people believe that if they abstain from tobacco and alcohol use, oral cancer will not affect them.  Tobacco and alcohol use does contribute to oral cancer; however, 25% of those diagnosed abstain from both substances.

 

The best way to stay protected from oral cancer is to get annual oral cancer screenings.  Most dentists perform an oral cancer exam during a regular dental checkup.  The FDA-approved VELscope^® offers dentists another examination tool to help detect oral cancer in its earliest stages.  The VELscope^® is a blue excitation lamp, which highlights precancerous and cancerous cell changes.

Request an appointment for your OraRisk^® HPV Salivary Diagnostic Test or VELscope® Oral Cancer Screening today!

 

 references: Boston Globe; Oral Cancer Foundation; Oral DNA labs,

Diet and our teeth

A research team from the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA has found evidence suggesting that oral health is actually worse now than in prehistoric times, despite the vast medical advances since the days of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

The results of the team's study, recently published in Nature Genetics, are based on close examination of calcified plaque from 34 prehistoric skeletons. The change has to do with our evolving diet - the switch from meat and vegetables to more carbohydrates and sugars (from the development of agriculture, and later the Industrial Revolution) led to an evolution in the makeup of oral bacteria.

Disease-causing bacteria thriving on carbs crowded out the more innocuous, pathogen-fighting bacteria already there. This led to an enhanced immune response against these "opportunistic pathogens" - the more you eat, the more bacteria you have, and the harder your body has to work to fight it off. The lack of the previous pathogen-fighting bacteria then leads to oral disease.

Reference: Living Well

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