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A recently published study featured in JAMA Oncology has found that oral human papilloma virus (HPV) infection linked to HPV 16 (a specific HPV type) bolsters the risk for neck and head cancer.

Previously released studies have already made HPV responsible for a number of diseases such as cervical cancer for women and throat cancer for men. The new research findings, however, may link HPV to a diverse range of cancers.

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine-based study led by senior authors M.D., Sc.D Ilir Agalliu and M.D. Robert D. Murk utilized mouthwash samples from 96,650 cancer-free people who volunteered to donate their samples to the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort as well as the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial with follow-up monitoring period for 3.9 years on average as reported by UPI.

In the follow-up period, the researchers detected 132 people who developed cases of head and neck cancer and matching them to a control group of 396 healthy participants whose mouthwash samples were analyzed for other types of oral HPVs.

A careful analysis of the submitted mouthwash samples revealed that the thriving presence of HPV in the oral cavity is a strong determinant in the future development of oropharyngeal cancers.

According to The Monitor Daily, the likelihood of having head and neck cancer increased 22 times in participants with HPV 16-detected samples.

So with a mouthwash test, it is easier to detect patients who are potentially at risk. In addition, two FDA-approved vaccines are currently available to prevent HPV, namely, Cervarix and Gardasil- these are normally administered to boys and girls aged 11 or 12 as stated in a published article by NBC News.