Hypodontia and Ovarian Cancer: Is There A Link?

OBJECTIVES: The objective for this project is to explore a possible association between hypodontia and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), which may have common genetic control mechanisms: single strand polymorphisms in the MSX1 &/or AXIN2 master regulatory genes. This link could add the clinical presentation of hypodontia as a risk factor for possible EOC susceptibility and thus, enhance earlier detection and treatment of this potential lethal malignancy. METHODS: Thirty-seven subjects with EOC and 92 healthy age-matched controls were recruited. A dental exam along with patient history was utilized to detect hypodontia. The subject's general dentist was contacted if an accurate diagnosis for missing teeth was required. DNA was collected using buccal swab kits to allow for sequencing and analysis of the MSX1 & AXIN2 genes. RESULTS: Prevalence of hypodontia was 3.3% & 24.3% for the control and case (EOC) groups, respectively. There is a statistically significant difference among these hypodontia rates: P=<0.0001 by Fisher's Exact Test. Odds ratio = 9.5 (95% confidence interval..: 2.4 to 37.7) implying that a woman with EOC is 9.5 times more likely to have hypodontia than a control. Maxillary lateral incisors were the most frequently affected teeth. CONCLUSION: The preliminary data suggest a strong association between hypodontia of the permanent dentition and EOC. Additional subjects are being recruited. Analysis of the MSX1 and AXIN2 genes will be performed to explore a possible genetic link between hypodontia and epithelial ovarian cancer development.

Research funded by the General Clinical Research Center Grant # M01RR02602