Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Some Oral Bacteria May Cause Bowel Cancer

Maintaining solid oral hygiene could be a key to preventing bowel cancer.
A research team from the Dana-Farber Institute and the Broad Institute discovered a correlation between bacteria associated with gum disease and nine colorectal tumor samples. This indicates that there could be some kind of link.
Bowel cancer is one of the more common types of cancer. Only about half of the people who develop bowel cancer survive.
Much more research is necessary to determine the extent of the relationship between bowel cancer and oral bacteria. Matthew Myerson, the co-director of the Center for Cancer Genome Discovery at the Dana-Farber Institute and the lead author of the study, however, discovered the presence of the fusobacterium in tumors in the bowels. This bacterium is generally involved with causing gum disease.
This information lends more credence to the idea that good oral health leads to good overall health. Maintaining a daily oral hygiene routine as well as visiting the dentist regularly will ensure that a person won’t have to worry about bowel cancer.

 Dr. Caroline Wallace DDS
Complete Dental Care
103 South Colorado Street
Salem, Virginia, 24153
540-387-3844

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