Smoking, alcohol, dentition and diet in the epidemiology of oral cancer

Abstract

This matched case-control study was conducted in Western New York. The smoking, alcohol consumption, dental hygiene and diet of 290 cases were compared with those of 290 sex-, age-, and neighbourhood-matched controls. The results confirm earlier findings that cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption impart substantial risk of oral cancer. The results also confirm that poor oral hygiene increases the risk of oral cancer, although this effect is much smaller than those of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption. The results suggest that, of macronutrients, intake of fat is more likely than those of protein or carbohydrate to be related to risk. Of micronutrients, calcium, sodium, riboflavin and retinol are associated with risk, while thiamin, niacin, and dietary fibre are associated with decreased risk. Although patterns of dietary effects are discernable, these effects are in general much weaker than are those of smoking and alcohol consumption.