The Centers for Disease Control report that nearly 25 million women are infected with some form of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).
Of those, more than three million are thought to have one of the four strains known to cause cases of cervical cancer and genital warts.
HPV is linked to oropharyngeal cancer and may be linked to oral cancers as well, and vaccines that have been developed to treat HPV might decrease the risk of these cancers, according to a study in the May/June issue of General Dentistry, the clinical, peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD).
James J. Closmann, BS, DDS, the lead author of the study, found that oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC) have been linked to high-risk HPV strains, the same strains that cause cervical cancer.
Recently, a vaccine was developed to treat patients with HPV against cervical cancer, and this could have an effect on women's oral health.
“More than 100 strains of HPV have been identified,” says Dr. Closmann. “They have been shown to cause other benign and malignant disorders, which now include those in the mouth. Nearly 30,000 new cases of oral and oropharyngeal cancer are reported each year. It's possible that oral and oropharyngeal cancers could be reduced if vaccination were more widespread; however, additional research is needed.”