publication date: Nov 11, 2007
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author/source: Anne Coates
The UK’s leading oral health charity,
British Dental Health Foundation, has revealed its
concern about Britain’s lack of
mouth cancer knowledge when every
five hours someone in the UK
dies as a result of it.
This
cancer can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat. It
kills one person every
five hours in the UK and the number of
new cases is rising faster than almost any
other cancer.
Early signs:
- ulcers that haven’t healed after three weeks;
- lumps or red or white patches in the mouth;
- any swelling below the neck or chin;
- any pain when chewing or swallowing;
- a feeling that you have something in your throat that cannot be swallowed.
If you are
concerned that you might have any of these
symptoms request a
mouth cancer check from your
dentist. As the campaign
tagline goes: If in doubt – get checked out!
While certain
habits undoubtedly make you
more likely to develop mouth cancer,
research has found that
one in four young people who
develop the condition presents
none of the major
risk factors.
If
mouth cancer is detected
early then the chances of a
full recovery are good so it is
vital that people are
aware of what to look out for and how they can
minimise their risk. Unfortunately, due to a
lack of awareness many
cases go unnoticed until it is
too late.
In the UK around
4,750 new cases of mouth cancer are
diagnosed annually. Around
1,600 people
die of mouth cancer every
year.
Risk factors
- Tobacco use and drinking alcohol to excess are the main risk factors and are thought to account for around 80 per cent of mouth cancers.
- People who use both alcohol and tobacco are up to 30 times more likely to develop the condition.
- Mouth cancer is more likely to affect people over 40 years of age, though an increasing number of young people are developing the condition.
- A poor diet is also a contributory factor.
- 50 years ago mouth cancer was five times more common in men than women. Now it is only twice as common
As the
campaign headline goes:
If in doubt, get checked out!
You can call the
Dental Helpline on 0845 063 1188.
