A leading dentist has warned about the breast cancer risk closely linked to gum health – and claims many ‘conventional’ dentists ‘never mention it’.
Doctor Mark Burhenne, a family dentist with a Doctor of Dental Surgery, said if you want to ‘reduce your breast cancer risk’, the gums are a crucial place to start.
‘Most women have never heard this from their dentist. There’s a bacterium called Fusobacterium nucleatum that lives in diseased gums,’ Dr Burhenne, from California, said.
‘When your gum tissue is inflamed – even the low-grade, just a little bleeding kind – it creates an opening straight into your bloodstream. That bacteria doesn’t stay in your mouth. It travels.’
Dr Burhenne explained that researchers at Johns Hopkins recently published a study (in Cell Communication and Signaling) showing this ‘bacteria can reach breast tissue, bind to breast cells, cause DNA damage and accelerate tumor growth’.
Breast cancer is the second most common worldwide, with one in eight women diagnosed in their lifetime.
‘I wonder how many of them will learn about this connection?’ The ‘Ask the Dentist’ founder, queried.
‘After all, gum disease affects roughly half of adults. You cannot separate your mouth from the rest of your body. Bleeding gums aren’t a dental inconvenience. They’re an open door.
A leading dentist has warned about the breast cancer risk closely linked to gum health – and claims many ‘conventional’ dentists ‘never mention it’
‘Closing that door costs nothing. Floss. Scrape your tongue. Ditch the antiseptic mouthwash that’s been nuking your oral microbiome. These are not complicated interventions.’
The functional dentist expanded on the topic further after thousands of women and men admitted they’d never heard about the link before.
‘[The study] builds on years of smaller studies connecting periodontal disease to breast cancer,’ he wrote on his website.
‘I spent over 40 years in clinical practice trying to get people to understand that the mouth is not separate from the body.
‘What happens in your gums doesn’t stay in your gums. We’ve known for years that periodontal disease is linked to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, adverse pregnancy outcomes. And now, breast cancer.’
Dr Burhenne explained the best ways to lower the risk in detail, emphasising that his warning wasn’t designed to ‘scare’ but rather ’empower you to take action’.
His key tips? See a dentist if you notice any gum bleeding as it is not normal, consider an oral microbiome spit test to identify bacteria in the mouth, ditch antiseptic mouthwash, look at natural toothpaste alternatives and floss/tongue scrape daily.
‘This is the future of cancer prevention – and honestly, it’s the future of medicine,’ he said.
‘Forward this to someone who needs to see it. Every woman deserves to know this.’
Dr Burhenne regularly shares cancer prevention advice across his popular social pages and most recently listed the oral cancer red flags that should never be ignored.
He particularly urged people to pay closer attention to even the smallest changes in their mouth – particularly if they linger.
‘If any of these have lasted more than two weeks, don’t wait. Get it looked at,’ he said.
His warning is timely, with oral cancer continuing to affect thousands each year.
In Australia, around 800 cases are diagnosed annually, while broader head and neck cancers account for more than 5,500 diagnoses and over 1,300 deaths nationwide.
What makes the disease particularly dangerous, experts say, is how easy it is to miss in its early stages.
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When your gum tissue is inflamed – even the low-grade, just a little bleeding kind – it creates an opening straight into your bloodstream. That bacteria doesn’t stay in your mouth. It travels.
Dr Burhenne explained that one of the most commonly ignored symptoms is a sore or ulcer that simply won’t heal, and especially if it isn’t painful.
While most mouth ulcers clear within a week or so, he warned that anything persisting beyond two weeks should be taken seriously, even if it seems harmless at first glance.
Subtle visual changes can also be an early clue. White or red patches that appear on the tongue, gums or inner cheeks may not seem alarming, but can signal underlying cell changes that require assessment.
Similarly, he advised paying attention to any unusual thickening, hard spots or lumps inside the mouth – or even along the neck – noting that these can sometimes indicate abnormal tissue growth or spread beyond the original site.
The dentist famously says ‘you can’t out-floss a bad diet’ and offers nutrition tips as well
Other symptoms can be just as easy to dismiss, like bleeding.
Nor should unexplained numbness in the tongue or lips be ignored, as it may point to nerve involvement.
Even functional changes, like difficulty chewing, swallowing or speaking, can be early warning signs if they develop suddenly and persist.
Individually, these symptoms might not seem alarming, but he warned, together, they form a pattern that dentists are trained to recognise early.
‘Dental checkups can save your life by detecting oral cancer early,’ Dr Burhenne said.
