Brian,

I in no way am an authority about the matter of whether or not chronic irritation can lead to cellular changes that could then lead to cancer. My renewed interest in this topic came about as a result of my reading an article by Dr. Eric Genden.

I had been taught in dental school (many moons ago) that chronic irritation could lead to oral cancer. In trying to come up with a possible cause for my cancer, having eliminated the known common ones, Dr. Genden's article prompted me to contact him. His credentials, as listed in my previous post, seemed to indicate to me that he knew quite a bit more about this subject than I did.

Although there may be many authorities that feel that this may not be so, there are others that do. We have to choose to believe those that make the most sense to us. I agree with you that sores caused by dentures probably have nothing to do with the development of oral cancer. Most people would have sore spots adjusted way before they would reach the chronic stage, as they can be very painful. However, there can be areas where long term irritation to tissues could occur without pain and can be ignored by that person.

This is probably a topic that could be debated for a long time and that is not my purpose. I would just like to leave it out there as a possibility.

Jerry