There is an increasing interest in the link between periodontitis and overall cancer risk. Many reviews have reported an association but so far with very low evidence.

There are many common risk factors between periodontal disease and cancer such as age, alcohol, smoking and genetics. The systemic inflammation is the main focus, but many studies also look at different oral pathogens as an explanation for the connections between periodontal disease and different types of cancer.

Periodontal treatment and good oral hygiene are a benefit for all patients since it reduces the preventable burden of the systemic inflammation associated with periodontal disease.

Hoare et al. 2019, Corbella et al. 2018