CORRELATION IN BETWEEN ORAL BACTERIAL FLORA AND ORAL CANCER - A REVIEW ARTICLE

The oral cavity has the second largest and diverse microbiota after the gut harboring over 700 species of bacteria. Many works have also shown that the oral periopathogens Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis play an important role in the development of colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Oral microflora may serve as a synergistic factor with the other commonly known risk factors such as alcohol abuse and smoking. In the present article, we hypothesize a causal role for oral bacterial flora in oral cancer although an indirect one. We propose that the normal bacterial flora in conjunction with the already established risk factors such as alcohol consumption may play a role in cancer development.