Researchers reporting in the journal Cancer Prevention Research identified 3,439 participants aged 30 to 69 years from the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for whom data on oral health and whether 37 HPV types were present or absent in the oral cavity were available. “Participants were asked to rank oral health on a scale of poor, fair, good and excellent,” says Christine Markham, PhD, deputy director of The University of Texas Prevention Research Center. “We then broke it out to compare poor/fair to good/excellent. Those who rated their oral health as poor/fair had a 1.5 times higher risk of HPV infection.” Dr. Markham says they weren’t particularly surprised by the findings. “Our hypothesis that if someone is exposed to oral HPV through oral sex and have poor oral health, that may provide an entry portal for HPV to enter the body,” she says. “By the same token, if they have good oral health and don’t have lesions or sores, it may provide some protection.” Although oral health was self-reported, the researchers found that self-rated overall oral health was an independent risk factor for oral HPV infection. This was true even after the risk was adjusted for other factors such as gender, smoking, marijuana use, and oral sex habits. The take home message, says Dr. Markham, is that practicing good oral hygiene every day may reduce your risk of acquiring infections that can seriously impact your overall health. “Even if you can’t get to the dentist regularly for whatever reason, brushing, flossing and using a mouthwash on a regular basis will go a long way toward promoting better oral health,” she says. “You can still get oral HPV infections, of course, but your risk will be greatly minimized.” More from Prevention: What an STD andThroat CancerHave In Common
