Dental Health| A Study Links Dental Malformations to Cancer |
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| Tuesday, 04 December 2023 14:33 |
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According to new research, individuals with dental abnormalities may face a higher risk of developing cancer. The study was conducted by a team from the University of Pittsburgh and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The results were published online on Nov. 20 in the Journal of Dental Research ahead of print. The study involved 400 participants. As a result of the research, the authors conclude that the genetic alterations resulting in dental malformations and cancer are markedly similar. Several previous studies have suggested that a shared pathway between dental agenesis and cancer development. However, the exact molecular mechanism(s) associated with this proposed interaction are still in need of further investigation. During this specific study, the assessed population was divided into two groups and 82 subjects with tooth agenesis were compared with 328 ‘normal’ individuals who represented a control group. Results of the study appear to suggest that patients with any degree of tooth agenesis have a higher probability of having a family history of cancer. Meanwhile, subjects with certain variants of gene markers, which play a role in cancer development, had a higher chance of having premolar agenesis. It should be appreciated that this was essentially a correlation study which is useful in defining a potential relationship between variables (in this case tooth agenesis and cancer). It should not be considered definitive with respect to a specific association until randomized controlled prospective studies are concluded. The study team did conclude that further investigation is still required in order to confirm if tooth agenesis can be a marker for cancer. |