Slashdot Mirror
Tooth Cavities May Protect Against Cancer
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "John Gever reports at MedPage Today on a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Buffalo, which found that people with more cavities in their teeth are 32 percent less likely to suffer from head and neck cancers. 'To our knowledge, the present study suggests, for the first time, an independent association between dental caries and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.' The researchers proposed a mechanism for the apparent protective effect: that cariogenic, lactic acid-producing bacteria prompt cell-mediated Th1 immune responses that suppress tumor formation. The team examined records of patients older than 21 seen in the university's dental and maxillofacial prosthetics department from 1999 to 2007, identifying 399 who were newly diagnosed with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Assuming that the association between caries and reduced cancer risk is real, the team suggests that one could regard the cariogenic bacteria as beneficial overall, with caries 'a form of collateral damage.' Therefore an appropriate strategy could be to target that effect specifically without aggressively targeting the bacteria. 'Antimicrobial treatment, vaccination, or gene therapy against cariogenic bacteria may lead to more harm than good in the long run.'"
The research suggests that the excretions of the bacteria and the bodies reaction to that are the cause -> effect mapping. However, your suggestion that toothpaste may have unknown carcinogenic properties could be just as valid.
I was promised a flying car. Where is my flying car?
"Once fluoride is incorporated into the teeth of children, the problem of dental infection by decay-causing bacteria is solved, because the pH required to cause decay in teeth that have fluoride included is never achieved by the bacteria."
It doesn't work that way. I am a dentist and can guarantee you that even fluoride treated teeth and teeth with systemic fluoride incorporation can and do get cavities. I drill and fill them all day every day. Fluoride is only one factor in keeping teeth healthy. You still have to brush, floss, maintain a healthy diet, etc.