Oral Cancer and its Correlation with Oral Cavity Microorganisms

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma is one of the main causes of mortality from oral cancer, and several deleterious habits associated with chronic inflammation have been recognized as predisposing factors in its process. The bacteria that make up the oral biofilm were suggestive of the development of oral cancer, given that several hypotheses have been proposed to explain how the oral microbiota may be involved in the pathogenesis of cancer, with evidence, mainly, of chronic inflammation, microbial synthesis of carcinogenic substances and alteration of the integrity of the epithelial barrier. The objective was to present in this narrative literature review the correlation between oral cancer and the possible microorganisms that may be present in the oral cavity. For that, a search for publications was carried out online, between the years 2007 to 2022, using three electronic databases: Lilacs, SciELO and Pubmed. The search strategy included the following keywords: “dental plaque” AND “pathogenesis”, AND “cancer buccal” (oral cancer). Articles in Portuguese and English were included, and letters to the editor, theses, editorials and monographs were excluded. Although not properly defined in the literature, oral cancer may be related to microorganisms in the oral cavity which, in addition to other risk factors, favor the action of procarcinogens.