Cancer risk: Poor oral hygiene raises the risk of liver cancer by 75%, according to study

Brushing your teeth is important to get rid of any food stuck between the teeth as well as plaque, a sticky white film that contains bacteria. This helps to maintain your oral hygiene to prevent any decay or cavities. However, did you know that maintaining oral hygiene could also be preventing other harmful diseases?

According to a study by Queen's University Belfast, having poor oral hygiene could increase your risk of developing liver cancer. The researchers found that people suffering from oral health problems, such as painful or bleeding gums, mouth ulcers and missing teeth, were at a 75 percent higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the most common form of primary liver cancer.

The study analysed a cohort of over 469,000 people in the UK to find the link between oral health problems and gastrointestinal cancers risk, such as liver, colon, rectum and pancreatic cancer.

The researchers found that 4,069 of the participants developed gastrointestinal cancer over a period of six-years. In 13 percent of these cases, patients also reported poor oral health conditions. They also found that those with poor oral health were more likely to be young, female and living in deprived areas.

Read more: Coronavirus: Leftover residues of the virus might be causing long COVID, new study says

Doctor Haydée Jordão, lead author of the study, shared that poor oral health has been associated with the risk of several chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

"However, there is inconsistent evidence on the association between poor oral health and specific types of gastrointestinal cancers, which is what our research aimed to examine," Dr Jordão said.

As to why this risk exists, Dr Jordão explained that there are two main theories. The first is that this could be due to the role of the oral and gut microbiome in disease development.

The liver helps in the elimination of bacteria from our body. When the liver is affected by diseases, such as hepatitis, cirrhosis or cancer, its function will decline. This will enable the bacteria to survive in our body for longer, and cause more harm.

“One bacteria, Fusobacterium nucleatum, originates in the oral cavity but its role in liver cancer is unclear. Further studies investigating the microbiome and liver cancer are therefore warranted," Dr Jordão added.

Another theory for this link is that people with poor oral health conditions, such as missing teeth, are unable to eat proper nutritious foods, which raises their risk of liver cancer.

Liver cancer can present itself in multiple symptoms such as weight loss, jaundice, pain and/or swelling in the abdomen. You may also experience loss of appetite or may feel full soon after eating small amounts of food. A lump in the right side of your abdomen, pain in your right shoulder, and itching could also be signs of the disease. A general feeling of being sick may also be implying something is wrong with the liver.

Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver, caused by liver diseases such as hepatitis and chronic alcoholism. It usually happens at a later stage of these diseases and increases the risk of liver cancer. Advanced cirrhosis, with more and more scar tissues in the liver, can even be life-threatening. It is important to be mindful of the signs of liver diseases and seek immediate treatment as cirrhosis generally can't be undone. Early diagnosis and treatment can help in preventing or limiting any further damage.

Read more: Diabetes symptoms: Three body odours that may signal high blood sugar levels

Healthy lifestyle changes are essential for preventing liver damage. Limit your alcohol consumption and try to drink only occasionally or quit drinking altogether. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important. If you are overweight or obese, try to manage your diet and exercise everyday in order to reach your healthy weight range. Make sure you do not jump to any drastic diets and lose weight gradually, in a process that you can pull off for the long run.