General Health Information

According to a new research conducted, it was suggested that having
severe gum disease along with human papillomavirus (HPV) may also have
an increase risk of developing tongue cancer. While many studies in the
past have found periodontitis as an active destroyer of the connective
tissue and bone supporting the teeth, HPV can pose increased risks of
cancer in the head, neck or tongue. The study also shows that an
evidence of periodontitis-HPV synergy has important practical
implications, because there is a safe treatment for periodontitis
but no treatment for HPV infection. If the same results are confirmed
by other studies, this has a tremendous relevance in predicting and
intervening in the initiation and prognosis of HPV-related diseases,
including head and neck cancers. Thus, the identification of factors
that influence the persistence of HPV infection is critical to
facilitate efforts to prevent head and neck cancers. The study moreover
implicates that chronic inflammation and co-infection with oral
bacteria may be significant factors in the natural history of HPV
infection.