Wang J, Yang X, Zou X, Zhang Y, Wang J, Wang Y. Relationship Between Periodontal Disease and Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Periodontal Res 2020; DOI: 10.1111/jre.12772. [Epub ahead of print].

A significant association was found between periodontal disease and the incidence of lung cancer.

This meta-analysis was undertaken to investigate the association between periodontal disease (PD) and the risk of lung cancer. Cohort and case-control studies investigating the correlation between PD and lung cancer were included. The association between PD, edentulism, and lung cancer was measured by the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Six cohort studies and two case-control studies, assessed as high-quality, involving 167,256 participants, were included. The summary estimates showed an association between PD and a significant risk of lung cancer both in cohort studies (HR = 1.40) and case-control studies (OR = 1.51). Similar features were found in the sensitivity analysis and subgroups for six cohort studies, of male only, setting the lung cancer incidence as endpoint, and adjusting alcohol for multifactorial HR. The authors suggest a significant association between PD and the incidence of lung cancer but emphasise that further observational studies are required by using standardised measurements to assess the periodontal status and by eliminating confounding factors, such as alcohol and diabetes, to verify such a relationship.