If there's one thing emblazoned across every science writer's
desk, it's the eternal quote "correlation is not causation". As
if to prove the eternal validity of this quote, we have a study
from Sweden that tracked oral hygiene and cancer deaths over a
period of 24 years for 1,400 individuals. Lo and behold, there's
a link between plaque levels and cancer mortality. Top image:
Smabs Sputzer/Flickr. Even the authors are quick to note that
they're not saying that plaque causes cancer: "Our study
hypothesis was confirmed by the finding that poor [mouth]
hygiene, as reflected in the amount of dental plaque, was
associated with increased cancer mortality. Further studies are
required to determine whether there is any causal element in the
observed association." However, the way that failing to brush
your teeth could potentially be linked to cancer is because of
the nasty things which can grow in your mouth. Uncontrolled
biofilm buildup causes pockets of microbial cells, toxins and
enzymes, which carry a high bacte