Oral Cancers Linked to Dental Trauma?

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by André Sofair, MD, MPH, and William E. Chavey, MD, MS

Oral cavity tumors frequently occur at sites of chronic dental trauma, especially among nonsmokers, suggesting that such trauma could be carcinogenic, according to a retrospective study in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery.

Researchers in Australia studied some 700 adults diagnosed with oropharyngeal or oral cavity cancers from 2001 to 2011. Tumors were most frequently found on the edge of the tongue, a common site of chronic dental trauma. However, edge-of-tongue tumors were significantly more common in patients who'd never smoked (66% of tumors in nonsmokers) than in those who currently or previously smoked (35%). "Thus," the researchers write, "we can confidently conclude that there is some carcinogen in nonsmokers that is preferentially affecting the edge of the tongue."

They continue: "We acknowledge that this study does not prove that chronic dental trauma causes cancer. However we believe that the data ... suggest that it may be a more important and common carcinogen than is currently perceived."