Be Mouth Aware – Things You Should Know About Mouth Cancer
Here are some things that you may not know about mouth cancer:
- Mouth Cancer claims more lives than testicular and cervical cancer combined.
- Mouth Cancer takes more lives than road traffic accidents on Britain’s roads.
- Mouth Cancer is diagnosed in more than twice as many men than women but there are more cases in women than ever before.
- Mouth Cancer is one of very few cancers in which incidences are actually predicted to increase in the future.
- Smoking is the leading cause of mouth cancer.
- Excessive use of alcohol is linked to more than a third of mouth cancer cases in men and fifth in women.
- Heavy drinkers and smokers are up to 35 times more at risk.
- Mouth cancer can often be spotted in its early stages by your dentist during a thorough mouth examination.
- Despite the above risk factors, Mouth Cancer can affect anyone and is becoming increasingly common in people who do not fit with the standard increased risk factors.
- Signs and symptoms of mouth cancer include: ulcers which do not heal within three weeks, red or white patches and any unusual lumps or swellings. However, many people do not suffer from any symptoms
- If in doubt get checked out by your dentist or doctor as soon as possible.
At Brightside Dental, we carry out mouth cancer screening as part of all of our new patient visits, as well as routine assessment appointments.
Mouth Cancer Foundation have their 12th annual 10km walk in Hyde Park on 30th September. You can find out more about their work and support them here:
http://www.mouthcancerfoundation.org
