The global incidence of squamous cell carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract is 500.000 cases annualy. Therefore, current investigations aim at risk factors and measures for early detection of persons at risk. We quantified revertants of Salmonella typhimurium strains TA 98 and TA 100 after exposing them to unstimulated saliva spicemens from 100 participants. The frequency of revertants - considered as a measure for genotoxic environment within the oral cavity - was correlated with the oral hygiene and dental status. The rate of micronucleated epithelial cells from buccal mucosa (micronuclei per 1000 cells) served as a biomarker of genotoxic exposure in the field of the oral mucosa. Besides the chronical alcohol and tobacco consumption (p0,032) the dental status, in some aspects, was associated with genotoxic activity in saliva: plaque index, number of decayed teeth, prosthetic status (p0,050). However, the periodontal health, the kind of filling materials (amalgam or composite) and dentures (fixed or removable) showed no significant relation with the rate of revertants (p>0,104). In conclusion, there seems to be an association between the polymicrobial supragingival plaque and the mutagenetic potential in saliva. From that point of view the oral health can be considered as a cofactor of cancerogenesis of squamous cell carcinomas in the oral cavity. Persons with a high rate of missing teeth (M/T-index, p=0,037) and bleeding on probing (PBI, p=0,032) as well as participants with periodontal attachement loss (PSI, p=0,042) presented a higher frequency of micronucleated cells compared with cases of good dental health. Furthermore, patients with composite restorations demonstrated significantly more micronucleated cells than such with amalgam fillings (p=0,006). Otherwise, there was no statistic significance for an association between the prosthetic status and the rate of micronucleated cells (p>0,075). According to this investigation, the periodontal pathogens from subgingival biofilm as well as dental composites can contribute to a genotoxic influence within the oral cavity, as it is caused by alcohol and tobacco abuse. |