Phd in INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN DISEASES OF
SKELETON, SKIN AND ORO-CRANIOFACIAL DISTRICT

Thesis title: CORRELAZIONE TRA CARCINOMA OVARICO E ANOMALIE DENTARIE: NUOVE PROSPETTIVE DI SCREENING

Introduction: Congenital dental anomalies (AD) represent alterations in odontogenic development often associated with mutations in regulatory genes such as PAX9 and AXIN2. Recent evidence suggests that these mutations may also be involved in epithelial proliferation processes, indicating a possible correlation between AD and epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). The latter remains one of the leading causes of gynecologic mortality, largely due to the lack of reliable early diagnostic markers. The hypothesis of a shared genetic basis between odontogenesis and epithelial carcinogenesis opens new translational research perspectives and the potential identification of early oncologic risk indicators within dental practice. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and types of AD in patients with EOC compared with a healthy control group. The goal was to explore a possible correlation between AD and the presence of EOC, analyzing their potential clinical and biological relevance as early phenotypic markers of oncologic predisposition identifiable in dental settings. Materials and Methods: An observational case-control study was conducted on 103 Caucasian women aged 28 to 89 years (mean = 60.84 ± 11.70): 51 with histologically confirmed EOC (study group, SG) and 52 healthy women (control group, CG), selected according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. All participants underwent dental examination with photographic and orthopantomographic (OPT) documentation to identify dental anomalies of number, shape, position, eruption, and structure. Statistical analysis was performed using the two-tailed Fisher’s exact test, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: AD were detected in 31.4% of patients with EOC compared with 9.6% of controls (χ² = 7.51; p = 0.007). Numerical anomalies were the most frequent category, with a prevalence of 23.5% in the SG versus 3.8% in the CG (χ² = 8.49; p = 0.004), particularly the association with deficiency and excess anomalies. No significant correlation was found between AD and BRCA1/2 mutations (p > 0.05), which were evaluated exclusively within the SG. Discussion and Conclusions: This study revealed a significantly higher frequency of AD, particularly numerical anomalies, in patients with EOC compared with healthy controls. These findings support the hypothesis of shared biological mechanisms between odontogenesis and epithelial carcinogenesis, with potential implications for developing new screening criteria. In this perspective, dental examination integrated with OPT could represent a simple, cost-effective, and non-invasive tool for identifying phenotypes potentially associated with systemic oncologic conditions. Further multicentric studies on larger cohorts are warranted to confirm these findings and clarify their clinical and biological significance.