Frequency of Daily Tooth Brushing and Development of any Type of Malignancy

Abstract

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the frequency of daily tooth brushing and the development of any type of malignancy.

Patients and methods: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study, including all adult participants who underwent health check-ups. Primary outcome was the development of any type of malignancy, compared to the frequency of daily tooth brushing, adjusting for potential confounders.

Results: A total of 71,449 participants were included and 5,025 participants developed a certain type of malignancy. Not brushing everyday (Odds Ratio (OR)=1.52, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=1.03-2.25) and brushing once a day (OR=1.25, 95%CI=1.16-1.35) had significantly higher ORs for the outcome than brushing after every meal, although those who brushed once to twice a day had significantly lower OR (OR=0.78, 95%CI=0.72-0.83).

Conclusion: As the frequency of daily tooth brushing increased, except for brushing after every meal, the development of all types of malignancies decreased.

Keywords: Tooth brushing; cancer; longitudinal study; malignancy.