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. 2025 Oct 3;25(1):1521.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06773-x.

Association between periodontitis and breast cancer in Indian women - a pilot study in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka

Aparna K S #  1   2 , Avinash B R #  3 , Rajesh Gururaghavendran  4
Affiliations

Association between periodontitis and breast cancer in Indian women - a pilot study in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka

Aparna K S et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: The most prevalent cancer in women is breast cancer (BC), and its prevalence is on the rise in India. Chronic inflammatory diseases like periodontitis have been connected to the development of cancer and systemic inflammation. This study aimed to assess the relationship between periodontitis and breast cancer in Indian women.

Methods: This cross-sectional pilot study involved 60 women from a tertiary hospital in Mangalore, Karnataka (30 BC patients and 30 age and use of tobacco matched controls). Clinical exams, standardized questionnaires, and medical records were used to gather data. The WHO Oral Health Assessment Form (2013) was used to evaluate periodontal health. After controlling for variables, the relationship between periodontitis and breast cancer was assessed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results: The periodontal health of BC patients was considerably worse when compare to controls. as They had higher levels of gingival recession (p = 0.03), clinical attachment loss (p = 0.02), bleeding on probing (p = 0.02), probing depth (p = 0.04), plaque index (p = 0.03), and gingival index (p = 0.04). The risk for breast cancer was 2.79 times higher in those with moderate periodontitis (aOR = 2.79, p = 0.002) and 4.27 times higher in those with severe periodontitis (aOR = 4.27, p < 0.001). Generalized periodontitis was significantly associated with breast cancer compared to localized periodontitis(aOR = 2.25,p = 0.004).

Conclusion: There is a significant association between periodontitis and breast cancer. The possibility that chronic periodontal inflammation increases the risk of breast cancer highlights the need for more studies and integrated healthcare strategies.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Chronic inflammation; Oral health; Periodontitis; Risk factors; Women health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was carried out in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and received ethical approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee of Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore (Ref. no: 18084). Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants. Consent for publication: Consent to publish has been obtained from the Institutional Research Committee of Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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