Telomere shortening in the oral epithelium in relation to alcohol intake, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH-1B), and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH-2) genotypes and clinicopathologic features.
Junko AidaAkira YokoyamaSachiko HaraTatsuro IshizakiMutsunori FujiwaraTomio AraiToshiyuki IshiwataKaiyo TakuboPublished in: Journal of oral pathology & medicine : official publication of the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the American Academy of Oral Pathology (2019)
Telomeres in the oral epithelium are shorter in cases of oral dysplasia or mucosal carcinoma than in non-neoplasia. Unlike the esophageal epithelium of alcoholics, they are also shorter in individuals with the less-active rather than the active ADH1B gene. Telomeres in the oral epithelium may be directly affected by alcohol drinking.