Abstract / Summary
Background We investigated the association between oral health conditions and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among cancer survivors, who may encounter a dual burden of treatment-induced metabolic disturbances and oral health complications. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the UK Biobank, comprising 32,325 cancer survivors. Self-reported oral health conditions included dentures, loose teeth, painful gums, bleeding gums, toothache, and mouth ulcers. MetS was defined as having at least three of five components: abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, elevated blood pressure, elevated blood glucose, and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Results After adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle risk factors, the presence of any oral conditions was associated with a 27% increased odds of MetS (OR [95% CI] = 1.27 [1.19–1.34]), specifically, toothache (1.37 [1.18–1.59]), dentures (1.31 [1.22–1.42]), loose teeth (1.30 [1.14–1.49]), bleeding gums (1.28 [1.17–1.40]), and painful gums (1.27 [1.07–1.49]). Across oral health conditions, associations were most consistent for elevated waist circumference (ORs=1.04–1.42) and reduced HDL cholesterol (ORs=1.07–1.32). Notably, an increasing number of concurrent oral conditions was associated with higher odds of MetS: 1.20 [1.13–1.28] for having one vs. 1.94 [1.34–2.83] for ≥4 conditions. Conclusions Self-reported oral health conditions were associated with higher odds of MetS among cancer survivors. Prospective studies using clinically assessed oral health measures are needed to establish temporality and determine whether integrating oral health screening into survivorship care could contribute to metabolic risk reduction in this population.