Association between breast cancer chemotherapy, oral health and chronic dental infections: a pilot study
Abstract
Breast
cancer has developed to become the leading type of cancer in females.
For this study, 80 women were examined after chemotherapy for breast
cancer and compared to 80 healthy age-matched women. This
cross-sectional study comprised a dental examination with number of
teeth, caries frequency (DMFT) and the presence of periodontal diseases
(PSI). With the help of X-rays (OPG), the number of root canal fillings
and apical lesions (LEO/LPO) were recorded. Furthermore, the education
level, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits and general health
conditions were recorded. All women completed questionnaires on oral
health-related quality of life (OHIP-G14) and general well-being
(HADS-D). To assess the influence of cancer therapy on oral health
parameters, appropriate generalized linear models were fitted with
disease status as main explanatory variable, adjusting for age and
education. For OHIP and HADS, we additionally adjusted for number of
missing teeth. The examined 160 women showed a comparable mean age
(60.4 years) and an average BMI of 24.6. Cancer patients showed a higher
risk for missing teeth (p < 0.001) and more apical lesions (p < 0.0041), particularly those of endodontic origin without root canal fillings (p = 0.0046),
than the control women. The general well-being of cancer patients was
significantly reduced with a HADS score of 9.4 for women with breast
cancer compared to 5.3 for the healthy control. This study suggests that
women after breast cancer chemotherapy are inclined to have a poorer
oral health status with more missing teeth and apical lesions.
Therefore, tightly scheduled dental recall visits should be recommended.
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