TUESDAY, March 31, 2026 (HealthDay News) — A healthy mouth is key to protecting the well-being of people battling liver disease, a new study reports.

Veterans with early-stage cirrhosis had fewer health problems and complications — including a lower risk of liver cancer — if they received routine dental cleanings, according to findings published recently in the Journal of Hepatology Reports.

“It is time for us to take orodental health seriously, especially since we have few ways to prevent cancer and disease progression in these patients,” senior researcher Dr. Jasmohan Bajaj said in a news release. He’s a hepatologist with the Virginia Commonwealth University Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease in Richmond, Virginia.

For the new study, researchers analyzed medical records from 2005 to 2023 for nearly 48,000 veterans diagnosed with compensated cirrhosis, a stage of liver disease in which the liver is scarred but still functioning. 

Just shy of 18% of the patients received regular dental care, defined as at least one dental cleaning or check-up per year beginning two years before their cirrhosis diagnosis.

Those veterans who did see the dentist regularly had:

• 27% lower odds of liver cancer

• 15% lower risk of ascites, a buildup of fluid in the abdomen that signals worsening liver disease

• 19% lower odds of hepatic encephalopathy, or problems with brain function caused by toxin buildup

Veterans who received dental care were also 15% less likely to be hospitalized for any cause and 20% less likely to be hospitalized for liver-related problems.

To make sure these benefits were linked specifically to dental care, not just to regular preventive health care, researchers also examined the veterans’ colonoscopy rates. 

Colonoscopy did not show the same link with fewer liver problems or hospitalizations, the analysis found. This suggests that the dental care itself made the difference.

The study wasn’t designed to explain why dental care helped the health of liver disease patients, but researchers speculated that a few factors could be at play.

People who get regular dental care tend to have less inflammation, as well as lower levels of unhealthy bacteria that thrive in a person’s mouth, researchers said.

However, the benefit appeared to level off at one dental visit per year, with little added improvement associated with more frequent visits.

“Regular dental cleanings including dental prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance may be an important tool to improve cirrhosis severity and should be considered by clinicians taking care of these patients,” the research team concluded in their study.

More information

Atlantic International University has more about the importance of dental health to overall well-being.

SOURCES: Virginia Commonwealth University, news release, March 26, 2026; Journal of Hepatology Reports, March 26, 2026