Periodontitis is a chronic gum disease that progresses very slowly. It can lead to bone loss around affected teeth.

Researchers from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in New York say that those with gum disease have a higher risk of developing tongue cancer. The researchers compared 51 men diagnosed with tongue cancer to 54 cancer free men.

They reported that each millimeter reduction in bone loss was associated with a 5 fold rise in risk of tongue cancer. Seeing bone loss on the x-rays indicates the gum disease has existed for decades, making it clear that periodontitis preceded the cancer diagnosis, and not the other way around.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has something important to say about the sugar substitute aspartame.

Think about this:

Italian researchers concluded in 2005 that aspartame causes cancer. But Laura Tarantino of the FDA Office of Food Additive Safety concludes after a review of the study data that the low-calorie sweetener is not a carcinogen.

A similar review by the FDA's European counterpart agrees. There is no evidence this substance, used for 25 years to sweeten soda, gum, dairy products, and some medications, causes cancer.

Italian researchers say they will release their latest aspartame study results on Monday.

University of North Carolina football coach Butch Davis recently received a shocking cancer diagnosis after a routine dental visit turned up a suspicious growth in his mouth. Pathology reports identify the cancer as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Davis, 55, has had the growth removed from his gum and while he received his first chemotherapy treatment last week, he's been told there is no indication the cancer has spread to other parts of his body.

Chemotherapy for Davis began at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio -- Davis coached the National Football League's Cleveland Browns from 2001-2004 -- but will continue at the University of North Carolina Hospital in Chapel Hill.

Davis says he is doing well, that his general health has never been better. And while fighting off cancer, he will work hard at preparing for the 2007 season.

"My family, my health and coaching this football team are my top priorities,'' Davis said. "I would appreciate and expect the focus to remain on the North Carolina football team."

The team opens the season on September 1 against James Madison University.

As if gum disease is not a painful enough experience, a Harvard study shows the disease can more than double the risk of pancreatic cancer. Additionally, those with a history of gum disease and recent tooth loss have a 2.7-fold increase in risk.

Previous studies have linked gum disease and pancreatic cancer, but smoking -- which contributes to both diseases -- has never been taken into consideration.

Researchers in this study, who controlled for smoking, followed 51,529 men for 16 years and found those who reported gum disease were 64 percent more likely to have pancreatic cancer. Nonsmokers with gum disease were twice as likely to develop the disease.

It was also determined in the study, published in the January 17 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, that the more severe the gum disease, the higher the cancer risk.

While it is not clear why gum disease is linked to cancer risk, researchers believe perhaps long-term gum infections trigger body-wide inflammation -- and inflamed tissues send chemical signals that promote tumor growth.

Smoking is not an easy habit to break, and of the many methods tried, only a handful seem to work. Of the methods that do seem to work -- nicotine-replacement products; bupropion drugs; counseling; classes; calling a helpline or talking to a health professional -- younger smokers between the ages of 16 and 24 years who smoke and try to quit only use one of the recommended methods of help by talking to a professional. Because of this, younger smokers are less likely to be successful in quitting, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

During the 2003 National Youth Smoking Cessation Survey, the CDC found that younger smokers most often tried to quit smoking by cutting back on the number of cigarettes they smoked each day; not buying cigarettes; exercising; using the buddy system and trying to quit with a friend; telling others they were quitting and changing to a lighter brand of cigarette, switching to chewing tobacco, snuff, or other tobacco products. None of these methods are recommended by the US Public Health Service.

According to the National Youth Smoking Cessation Survey, 77 percent of younger smokers have tried to quit at least once without success. Over a third have tried to quit smoking numerous times without success. Researchers suggest that many younger smokers may need help with other high-risk behaviors such as binge drinking; depression or ADD/ADHD.

If you are a younger smoker who is trying to quit, the CDC encourages you to call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or talk to your physician about methods that might lead to more success. The 2-page summary of the National Youth Smoking Cessation Survey is available as a pdf document.

On the anniversary of ABC News anchor Peter Jennings lung cancer death, Diane Sawyer spoke with medical editor Dr. Timothy Johnson about the impact Jennings death had for smokers. He indicated that while they do not have exact numbers, ABC was overwhelmed with telephone calls and emails from smokers asking for help or saying they were going to quit smoking as a result of the loss of Jennings.

There are 48 million smokers in the US, and 40 percent have tried to quit smoking. According to Dr. Johnson, only 20 percent of smokers who try to quit make use of aids available to help them -- patches, gum, antidepressants -- and only 5 percent of smokers are able to quit long term.

When Sawyer asked what message Dr. Johnson felt Jennings would want to convey to smokers, he said that Jennings would say, "keep trying, no matter how many times you try and fail to quit, keep trying -- each time you do is one more chance to become successful at quitting for good."

Dr. Johnson said Jennings, who admitted he was a heavy smoker for years before quitting, was a fighter. Dr. Johnson said Jennings would tell everyone who smokes to keep fighting to quit. ABC News has made the video of the interview, One Year Later: The Impact of Peter Jennings' Death, available online.

Several facts about mouth and upper digestive tract cancers have led researchers to develop a specially-designed chewing gum that might eliminate the cause of these cancers. The facts are these: 80 percent of mouth and throat cancers are linked to smoking and drinking; smoking and drinking raises the level of acetaldehyde; acetaldehyde is linked to a greater risk of mouth and upper digestive tract cancers; and amino acid l-cysteine can bind effectively to acetaldehyde to block it from causing harm. From these facts, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital researchers created l-cysteine-containing and acetaldehyde-eliminating tablets. The first commercial product based on this patented method is l-cysteine containing chewing gum.

"We know that with this chewing gum it is possible to eliminate acetaldehyde totally from the saliva during smoking. We do hope that this will in the future turn out to be a novel method for the prevention of alcohol and tobacco smoking associated oral cancers," states Mikko Salaspuro, professor at the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital.

University of South Florida researchers have concluded that while nicotine does not cause cancer, it does have the ability to protect cancer cells from some of the effects of chemotherapy drugs. However, these results are based solely on laboratory studies, with no clinical trials involving lung cancer patients.

Which basically means, that the results occurring in a test-tube setting might, or might not, translate the same into real life. For lung cancer patients who smoke, it is best to quit. If smokers can go without nicotine replacement, such as the patch or gum, that is best. But short of that, if smokers can quit smoking and need a nicotine patch or gum to be successful in remaining smoke-free, I do not believe any doctor or healthcare professional is going to dare suggest that lung cancer patients do not use the patch or gum.