Frequent dental visits appear to be tied to a lower risk for sessile serrated polyps, an abnormal tissue growth associated with bowel cancer, according to a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association Journals.
Researchers analyzed data from 1,564 colonoscopy patients and found that patients visiting the dentist every six months had a 52 percent lower risk for ssPs than those who had never gone to the dentist. Patients who went to the dentist between once and twice a year had a 34 percent lower risk.
Studies have associated periodontitis and oral bacteria with colorectal cancer tissues, but their contributions to polyp formation are still unknown, Samara Rifkin, MD, study author and internal medicine specialist from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore told Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News.
"We think detection of oral bacteria may be associated with the beginnings of colon cancer," Dr. Rifkin said.
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Researchers analyzed data from 1,564 colonoscopy patients and found that patients visiting the dentist every six months had a 52 percent lower risk for ssPs than those who had never gone to the dentist. Patients who went to the dentist between once and twice a year had a 34 percent lower risk.
Studies have associated periodontitis and oral bacteria with colorectal cancer tissues, but their contributions to polyp formation are still unknown, Samara Rifkin, MD, study author and internal medicine specialist from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore told Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News.
"We think detection of oral bacteria may be associated with the beginnings of colon cancer," Dr. Rifkin said.
More articles on dental:
ADA expands policy on oral cancer detection
SmileDirectClub breaks silence, slams dentists
Montana denturists fight proposal requiring dentists' presence