DENTISTRY@68 – Mouth Cancer
23/11/2016 by Dental DesignThis month is Mouth Cancer Action Month and there has never been a better time to stop and think for a minute, when was the last time you had a dental check up?
Every 77 minutes in the UK, somebody hears the terrible news that they have mouth cancer and unfortunately numbers of mouth cancer sufferers appear to be on the rise. Every November, the Oral Health Foundation organises and runs the charity campaign, Mouth Cancer Action Month, which aims to raise awareness of mouth cancer and make a difference by saving thousands of lives through early detection and prevention. The message is ‘if in doubt get checked out.’
When visiting your dentist for a routine check-up appointment, your dentist will also perform an oral cancer screening alongside the usual checks they perform. Mouth cancer is beatable. By knowing the early warning signs and symptoms and by understanding what puts us at greater risk, we can dramatically improve our chances through early diagnosis.
The most common signs of mouth cancer are:
- Sore mouth ulcers that don’t heal within several weeks
- Unexplained, persistent lumps in the mouth that don’t go away
- Unexplained, persistent lumps in the neck’s lymph glands that don’t go away
Other symptoms may include:-
- Pain or difficulty swallowing
- Changes in voice or speech
- Unexplained weight loss
- Bleeding or numbness in the mouth
- Unexplained loose teeth
- Difficulties in moving your jaw
Many of the above symptoms can also be caused by less serious conditions but if symptoms do persist for more than 3 weeks, it is advisable to book an appointment with your dentist or GP.
Although mouth cancer can affect anybody, there are several risk factors that also appear to come into play:
- Tobacco – the majority of mouth cancer cases continue to be as a result of smoking and tobacco use
- Alcohol – drinking alcohol to excess is another major risk factor
- HPV – many experts believe the Human Papillomavirus, transmitted through oral sex, will overtake tobacco use as the main cause of mouth cancer within the next decade
- Diet – a diet rich in fruit and vegetables will help reduce the risk of mouth cancer
- Chewing or smokeless tobacco – increases the risk of mouth cancer by up to four times
- Environmental – second hand tobacco smoke has been named as a probable cause for mouth cancer
Since the campaign started 12 years ago, Mouth Cancer Action month has helped facilitate thousands of projects and events and continues to act as a spearhead campaign for providing grassroots activities such as oral health checks, free mouth cancer examinations, talks, roadshows, and sponsored events, all with the ultimate aim of bringing further awareness of mouth cancer in order to save lives. For more information on how you can get involved visit http://www.mouthcancer.org/get-involved/
Regular dental check ups are vitally important and can sometimes get overlooked in our busy and time-restricted lives. If you are due a dental check up or are concerned by any symptoms, book up your check up today!
No Comments
No comments yet.
Deprecated: Function comments_rss_link is deprecated since version 2.5.0! Use post_comments_feed_link() instead. in /home/sites/dentistry68.co.uk/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5383
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Denplan Excel
Denplan makes it easy to look after your teeth & oral health without any costly surprises!