Association between periodontitis and prostate cancer: A case-control study

Background Recent evidence suggests that chronic inflammation may play a role in the development and clinical course of cancer. In this context, periodontitis (PE) has been associated with prostate cancer (PC), but the results are still inconsistent. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association between PE and PC, and their shared risk factors. Methods This case-control study comprised 152 cases with PC and 220 controls. All participants underwent a complete periodontal examination, and sociodemographic and medical variables of interest were collected. The association between occurrence and severity of PC and covariates was assessed by binary and multinomial multivariate logistic regression, respectively. Results The cases had a higher prevalence (p = 0.012) and severity (p = 0.007) of PE. The occurrence of PC was associated with an educational level <9 years (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.93), smoking (adjusted OR = 2.62), alcohol consumption (adjusted OR = 3.45), diabetes (adjusted OR = 0.32), chronic hypertension (adjusted OR = 2.03), and PE (adjusted OR = 1.80). Regarding the severity of PC, Gleason grades 1 and 2 were associated with PE (adjusted OR = 1.96), but Gleason grades 3-5 were not. Conclusion PE was associated with the occurrence of PC. Males diagnosed with PE would potentially benefit from being screened for prostate alterations..