Link Between Periodontal Disease And Kidney Cancer

The kidneys are blood filtering organs placed in the back of our abdomen. Kidneys remove bodily waste by filtering blood and then change it into urine.  From our kidneys, urine is carried into the bladder through a tube known as the ureter. Kidney cancer originates in the kidney in two places: the renal tubule and the renal pelvis. There are many types of kidney cancers. These are renal cell carcinomas, transitional cell carcinoma and Wilms’ tumor.

·        Renal cell carcinomas comprise about 85% of kidney cancers. This cancer grows within the kidney's microscopic filtering systems, in the lining of tiny tubules.

·        Transitional cell carcinoma starts in the place of the kidney where urine accumulates before being funneled to the bladder. This type of kidney cancer is the same as bladder cancer, so both are treated in same way.

·        Wilms’ tumor is mostly found in children. The treatment is different from adult kidney cancer.

The common symptoms of kidney cancer are blood in the urine, weight loss and fever, a pain in the side that doesn't go away, loss of appetite, weight loss for no known reason and anemia. This disease is difficult to detect because this cancer does not show noticeable symptoms in the earliest stages. The major reason for kidney cancer is smoking cigarettes. Exposure of toxic metals such as cadmium, asbestos and lead materials also increase the chance of kidney cancer. The common medical factors of kidney cancer are chronic kidney complaint, obesity and diabetes.

Periodontal disease is a debilitating form of gum disease. Our mouth contains a hundreds of species of bacteria. Most of the bacteria are not harmful to humans but some are harmful to our teeth, gums and entire body. The bacteria form a biofilm called plaque. We can remove plaque by brushing and flossing. If the plaque is not removed frequently it becomes harder and forms calculus or tartar. It is very hard and cannot be removed by normal brushing and flossing. Only cleaning our teeth in a professional way helps you to remove tartar. If the tartar and plaque are not removed properly they are very detrimental to one’s health. They affect the gums by causing Gingivitis. This is the onset of periodontal disease.

The symptoms of gum disease are bad breath that does not go away, red gums, bleeding gums, painful chewing, loose teeth and sensitive teeth. The first treatment for gum disease is to control the infection. Scaling and root planing are the two methods used by the dentist, periodontist or hygienist. These techniques are designed to remove tartar below the gum line and between the teeth and detoxify the root surface. The surgical treatments of periodontal disease are flap surgery and bone and tissue grafts. Flap surgery is used to remove tartar from teeth. During this treatment the gums are lifted back and the tartar is removed. The other method of treatment is bone and tissue grafts. In this method the bone or gum tissue is replaced, but results are unpredictable.

There is a strong link between periodontal disease and kidney cancer, a recent research report in the prestigious journal, Lancet Oncology, confirmed that gum disease increases the risk of kidney cancer by around 50%. For reducing the risk of gum disease, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day and visiting your dentist regularly. If you have periodontal disease, you should be seeing your dentist every three months instead of every six months. New approaches to plaque removal consist of power washing with a brushless system (Dental Air Force®) that requires no flossing, yet removes the bacteria producing plaque between teeth and around the gums.

In order to reduce the risk of kidney cancer (and other systemic diseases), it is wise to be vigilant in keeping your teeth clean and treating any periodontal disease.