Postmenopausal women with periodontal or gum disease are at a greater risk of developing breast cancer, suggests a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions.

The risk was discovered to be much lower in women with no history of inflammatory disease of the gums. The study suggests that a history of smoking has an important role in increasing or decreasing breast cancer risk in such women.

During the study, lead researcher Jo L. Freudenheim and colleagues observed 73,737 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. All of the women were devoid of breast cancer, and 26.1 percent of them had periodontal disease. The research team also took note of the association between smoking history and gum disease.

During the follow-up period of 6.7 years, 2,124 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The risk was found to be 14 percent higher in women with gum disease. In addition, women with gum disease who had quit smoking in the past 20 years had 36 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Meanwhile, women with periodontal disease who were still smoking at the time of the study had 32 percent higher risk, but it was not a statistically significant association. The breast cancer risk in women who had never smoked or had quit smoking more than 20 years ago was 6 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

To explain the association between gum disease and breast cancer risk, the researchers said that there is a possibility that the bacteria enters through the mouth and circulates in the body, ultimately leading to breast cancer. However, the team said that further studies are required to establish the link.

The complete details of the study have been published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

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