Are microplastics linked to oral cancer?

Dietary exposure to microplastics may be a risk factor in the development of oral cancer, according to a news article from Oral Health. Recent studies have shown that the rate of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers may be increasing, particularly as more cancers related to HPV — rather than traditional risk factors — are diagnosed each year.

In a cross-sectional ecological study published in Scientific Reports, investigators analyzed the relationship between country-level dietary microplastic consumption and the incidence of lip and oral cavity cancer across 106 countries.

Although smoking status and residing in urban areas were both predictive of lip and oral cavity cancer, the investigators noted that the data included in the study was inconsistent. Unadjusted models demonstrated a nonlinear relationship between dietary microplastic consumption and lip and oral cavity cancer. After conducting placebo/permutation testing, spatial residual diagnostics and dietary-structure sensitivity analysis, the investigators discovered a potential link between microplastics exposure through the proxy of seafood and lip and oral cancer. However, a prespecified spatial econometric sensitivity analysis classified the relationship as null.

Despite the results, the investigators stressed that the findings were preliminary and that they were unable to establish causation. Further studies are needed to better understand whether dietary microplastic exposure may trigger the development of oral cancer.

Read more: Oral Health

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