November is Mouth Cancer Awareness Month. In the UK, more than 7,000 people were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year. The disease has grown by a third in the last decade and remains one of very few cancers which are predicted to increase further in the coming years… that’s why Mouth Cancer Action Month is so important.
There is a hug amount of information available at www.mouthcancer.org
At EH Dental Care your oral cancer screen ing is a part of every examination that we do. Like most cancers, early detection improves the chances of successful treatment. Our dentists are only too happy to talk to you about how to reduce your personal risk of mouth cancer. In the pasty we used to think that mouth cancer was limited to older patients who smoke and drink a lot of alcohol, while these are both known risk factors there are many other things such as human papilloma virus, and diet that can impact on your risk of mouth cancer.
Mouth cancer can affect the mouth, tongue, lips or throat, it can appear as painless mouth ulcer that does not heal normally, a white patch or a red patch. Be aware too of persistent hoarseness or lumps in the neck or jaw that hang around for more than a week or two.
Best advice is to keep up to date with your regular examinations and be sure to call us if you are concerned about any of the above signs or symptoms. Our team at EH Dental Care are available monday to saturday and are happy to help.
