Bone invasion by oral squamous cell carcinoma—Is there a link to periodontal disease? A retrospective single center cohort study: 2010–2020

The aim of this study was to clarify if bone invasion by oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with periodontal disease (PD), dental status, or tumor location in patients with primary OSCC. Additional overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were related to bone invasion and PD. Retrospectively, 278 patients with OSCC between 2010 and 2020 were included. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association between PD, dental status, tumor location, and the presence of bone invasion by OSCC. Kaplan-Meier curves and logrank tests were used to assess differences in 5-year OS and RFS for the presence of bone invasion and PD. In dentate patients (n = 168) periodontal disease was more common in patients with bone-invasive OSCC (90%) compared to patients without OSCC bone invasion (70%), (p = 0.009; OR 3.7 (1.4–9.0)). Floor of mouth (FOM) tumors are more frequent when PD was present (41%). No statistically significant difference was seen in dental status and bone invasion (p = 0.10). Moderate periodontitis was associated with worse OS (55%) compared to severe and no periodontitis (67% and 68% respectively) (p = 0.03; mean survival 42.7 months (SD26.5)). Favorable OS and RFS were significantly associated with no bone invasion (p = 0.047 and 0.035 respectively). PD is 3.7 times more common in OSCC with bone invasion and tumor location is related to PD (p