Just Keep Flossing… Just Keep Flossing…
Hey we know it isn’t fun, but it’s important and not flossing may be tied to higher cancer risk. According to an article from USNews.com…
“Want to avoid cancer? Consider brushing and flossing more often. Why? Folks with bad gums might be at higher risk of developing certain types of cancer, new research suggests.
A history of gum disease appears to increase the risk of stomach cancer by 52% and throat cancer by 43%, according to data from two major long-term health studies.
People who’d lost two or more teeth also had an increased risk of cancer — 33% for stomach cancer and 42% for throat cancer — compared with people who never lost a tooth, the researchers reported.
“Participants with periodontal disease and a higher number of teeth lost had a higher risk of developing the two gastrointestinal cancers, even after adjusting for other major risk factors,” said senior researcher Mingyang Song. He’s an assistant professor of clinical epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
If these findings pan out, then a great many people in the United States could be at increased risk for these cancers. Nearly half of adults aged 30 and older have gum disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”