by Daisy Peasblossom

Created on: January 31, 2010   Last Updated: February 02, 2010

Periodontal disease is a condition of the mouth and gums that allows bacteria to grow in the spaces between and beneath teeth.  It has a variety of causes ranging from poor dental hygiene to nutrition and/or heredity.  Smoking and other forms of tobacco use, diabetes, heavy consumption of sweets and high levels of stress have all been known to contribute to this oral condition.  Symptoms are bad breath, bleeding gums, bad taste in the mouth, sores on gums or tongue or even out-breaks of acne on the face.

The most frightening part of periodontal disease, aside from tooth decay, halitosis and painful mouth, is that as the gums pull away from the teeth during progression of the disease, plaque grows below the gum-line.  Bits of plaque and bacteria can break away from the teeth and enter the circulatory system.  These bits travel inside the blood stream through out the body and may lodge places that may cause discomfort or even become life-threatening.  Periodontal disease also causes systemic inflammation, leading to a general malaise and weakened immune system.

 The symptoms of pancreatic cancer include a yellowing of skin and eyes commonly known as jaundice.  It is a painful and debilitating condition which frequently goes undetected because the pancreas is located at the back of the stomach and is masked from examination by several other organs. Each year about one in every 76 people is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Because the onset of symptoms is slow and not particularly obvious, too often the disease has progressed beyond treatment before being diagnosed.

A recent study by Assistant Professor Dominique Michaud of Harvard University links periodontal disease and pancreatic cancer.  In a Harvard School of Public Health press release, Michaud is quoted as saying, “Our study provides the first strong evidence that periodontal disease may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. This finding is of significance as it may provide some new insights into the mechanism of this highly fatal disease.”  The press release went on to state that periodontal disease causes an increase of systemic inflammation, which may initiate the onset of pancreatic cancer. The study eliminated correlated conditions such as smoking as a cause. According to an abstract published by Scientific Commons,  "Data on periodontal disease were obtained at baseline and every other year thereafter in a cohort of 51 529

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