A population-based study on the associations between chronic periodontitis and the risk of cancer.

Background: To date, the associations between chronic periodontitis (CP) and cancer lack large-scale population-based epidemiological evidence. This study aimed to investigate the subsequent risk for cancers among subjects with CP.

Methods: This study cohort included 40,140 subjects with CP and 40,140 subjects who were matched for a comparison cohort. We individually tracked each patient for a 5-year period following their index date to identify those who had received a diagnosis of cancer.

Results: The incidence rate of cancer during the 5-year follow-up period was 14.80 (95 % CI 14.28-15.34) per 1,000 person-years in subjects with CP. Cox proportional hazards regression revealed that the hazard ratio of cancer during the 5-year follow-up period for subjects with CP was 1.23 (95 % CI 1.20-1.27) compared to that of the comparison cohort.

Conclusions: We observed an increased risk for the subsequent development of a number of cancers among subjects with CP.