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For many people, it is unnecessary to create a pair of pearl-white teeth for beauty. But scientists say having good teeth and regular visits to the dentist have an important "anti-cancer" effect.

Wen| by Noa Leach

translation| Zeng Tingting

series| Wen Jing

The original article was published in Science Focus, Issue 1, 2024.

We've all had the experience of lying down comfortably after a busy day and suddenly remembering that you haven't brushed your teeth yet, but you're too lazy to get up and brush your teeth. However, it's not a good habit, and new research suggests that taking good care of your teeth can make you more likely to survive certain cancers.

Keeping teeth healthy improves five-year survival from head and neck cancer Scientists at the University of North Carolina in the United States surveyed data on 2500 patients worldwide with head and neck cancer, including tumors in the neck, ear, nose and throat, and oral and maxillofacial regions.

They found that people who went to the dentist regularly and had more natural teeth (rather than no teeth or dentures) before cancer was diagnosed were more likely to survive treatment.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, showed that these cancer patients with high survival rates visited the dentist at least six times in 10 years.

The five-year survival rate (the proportion of patients who survived more than five years after treatment) was 74 percent for those who visited the dentist regularly, compared with 54 percent for those who did not visit the dentist at all.

Also, regular visits to the dentist increase your chances of being diagnosed early in your life. Detecting the disease at a less lethal stage buys precious time for treatment.

If you add four wisdom teeth, adults typically have 32 teeth. Compared with patients with more than 20 natural teeth, patients with fewer natural teeth were 15 percent less likely to survive more than five years after cancer treatment.

Gum bleeding, frequency of brushing and mouthwash were not linked, according to the International Union of Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology. The scientists also analyzed other data on oral health in cancer patients. For example, in addition to dental visits and the number of natural teeth, they looked at gum bleeding, brushing frequency, and mouthwash use.

Gum bleeding, frequency of mouthwash use and frequency of tooth brushing were not significantly associated with cancer survival, the scientists found.

However, Jason Tasoulas, lead author of the study, stressed that good oral health is a good way to prevent tooth loss. "To keep our teeth healthy, we need to brush our teeth twice a day, floss or brush between teeth, and see our dentist regularly (at least once every six months)," he told Science Focus. "

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck is the sixth most common cancer in the world. It is usually caused by smoking and drinking.

"We hope that in the near future, these findings will be an important part of guidelines for the prevention and management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Antonio L. Amelio, another study leader, said:

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