The association between poor oral health and risk of breast cancer in the UK Biobank

Purpose Specific oral health conditions may be risk factors for breast cancer. This study aimed to investigate the associations of oral health conditions with breast cancer risk. Methods A total of 234,363 women from the UK Biobank prospective cohort were included in this study. We examined the association of self-reported painful/bleeding gums, loose teeth, mouth ulcers, toothache, and use of dentures with the risk of breast cancer. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the associations were calculated with adjustment for multiple confounders. Results No associations of self-reported painful/bleeding gums (HR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.98–1.10), loose teeth (HR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.82–1.02), mouth ulcers (HR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.93–1.06), toothache (HR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.92–1.14), or denture use (HR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.91–1.02) with breast cancer risk were found. No statistical heterogeneity was observed in analyses stratified by baseline smoking and menopausal status. Conclusion We observed no association between self-reported oral health conditions with the risk of breast cancer. Additional research with clinical examinations or oral health biomarkers in diverse populations is warranted.