Lowering Bowl Cancer Risk With Good Oral Health

10 May 2024

Lowering Bowl Cancer Risk With Good Oral Health

In the past, we have spoken about the ever-increasing evidence linking good oral health to protecting your general health. Poor hygiene has been linked to a higher likelihood of having a stroke, developing diabetes or heart disease and even developing breast cancer.

The main link is that the bacteria that cause tooth decay can also lead to the triggering of inflammation in the blood vessels. Recent research has been published which now shows that a bacteria called Fusobacterium Nucleatum, which commonly causes tooth decay, can actually travel directly from your mouth to your gut and increase the likelihood of developing bowel cancer. In fact, this bacterium was found in half of the tumours analysed through biopsy, and indeed those patients whose tumours were infected with it were more likely to develop an aggressive form of bowel cancer.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK.  Almost 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK.

According to figures from Bowel Cancer UK, around 268,000 people living in the UK today have been diagnosed with bowel cancer. More than nine out of ten new cases (94%) are diagnosed in people over the age of 50. But bowel cancer can affect anyone of any age. More than 2,600 new cases are diagnosed in people under the age of 50 every year. 1 in 15 men and 1 in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime.

As with any of the general health links, we always offer the same advice, namely, to lower your risk by ensuring good oral health. We recommend seeing your hygienist at frequent intervals, with the majority of our patients attending twice annually. Your hygienist will recommend a tailored dental health plan to keep you dentally fit.

If you’d like to make an appointment, call us on 020 7487 5221.