ABSTRACT
Recent studies have suggested a possible association between cancer and periodontal
disease. The evaluation of the impact of periodontal disease on the pathogenesis of
tongue cancer has not been studied up to the present moment. Therefore, the objective
of this study was to analyze the effect of the presence of ligature induced periodontal
disease on the experimental development of tongue cancer by the carcinogen 4-
Nitroquinoline 1-Oxide (4NQO) in Wistar rats. Seventy-two 60-day-old male Wistar
rats were distributed in three experimental groups: Group 4NQO, in which animals were
exposed to a 50 ppm solution of the carcinogen for 140 days; Group Ligature+4NQO, in
which the periodontal disease was induced by ligature in the second upper molar for 14
days and, after, the exposition to 4NQO for more 140 days; Group 4NQO+Ligature, in
which the animals were exposed to 4NQO for 140 days, and, after, periodontal disease
was induced for 14 days. Weight of the animals was monitored during the whole study.
Animals were sacrificed at the end of the experiment and the maxillary specimens and
the tongues were analyzed in relation to alveolar bone loss and histopathological
alterations. Fifty-six animals completed the study. No statistically significant difference
was observed in the sides without ligatures; a higher degree of bone loss was observed
in the side that received ligature. There was a lower occurrence of well-differentiated
squamous cell carcinoma in the animals that presented, from the beginning of the
exposition to the carcinogen, the presence of periodontal inflammation (p<0,05). It may
be concluded that the presence of periodontal inflammation seems to be a potential
modulator of the carcinogenic process.
Keywords: tongue cancer, periodontal disease, rats, 4NQO.