BACKGROUND: Chronic periodontitis and tooth loss are chronic oral conditions that, in recent decades, have been implicated in the occurrence of certain types of cancer. In this review, we address the question of whether colorectal cancer is associated with these oral conditions.
RESULTS: Epidemiological studies evaluating a potential association between periodontitis, tooth loss and colorectal cancer are scarce. However, several mechanisms argue in favor of this association, notably inflammation, nutrition and possibly infection by specific bacteria, as suggested by this literature review.