Mouth Cancer Action Month is an annual charity campaign that is run to help raise awareness of mouth cancer and will be running throughout November.
The campaign is there to make a difference by saving thousands of lives across the UK by early detection and prevention of the disease. Educating people and encouraging them to discuss their concerns about mouth cancer with their dentist, is helping to reduce the amount of lives lost to the disease each year.
Last year, more than 7,000 individuals were diagnosed with mouth cancer in the UK alone. The number of diagnoses has grown by a third in the last ten years and is one of the small amount of cancers that are expected to increase in the future.
Risk Factors
Mouth cancer can affect anybody of any age but 91{d58828e17d46aa12a0c509c6bfd5d14d7ae30230ead45e00e67257ba68cfae4b} of all diagnoses are linked to lifestyle. This means that you can decrease the chances of developing the disease just from carrying out a few simple lifestyle changes.
One in five people in the UK are current smokers. If you are a smoker, you are three times as likely to develop mouth cancer, and having a morning cigarette has been proven to double those figures. Have you been looking for a reason to kick the habit? Ex-smokers reduce their risk of mouth cancer by over a third.
Another major risk factor is drinking alcohol in excess – associated with around a third of all cases. Moderation is extremely important when it comes to consuming alcohol. People that both smoke and drink to excess increase their risk of mouth cancer by up to 30 times. It is crucial that these people visit their dentist regularly for check-ups.
Around half of all mouth cancer cases are associated with a poor diet. A diet full of vitamin packed foods like fruit and vegetables is not only good for your body, but will help to reduce your risk of developing the disease.
If you are regular consumers of the following foods, you can lower your risk:
- Fruit – 48{d58828e17d46aa12a0c509c6bfd5d14d7ae30230ead45e00e67257ba68cfae4b} lower risk
- Vegetables – 34{d58828e17d46aa12a0c509c6bfd5d14d7ae30230ead45e00e67257ba68cfae4b} lower risk
- Vitamin C supplements – 24{d58828e17d46aa12a0c509c6bfd5d14d7ae30230ead45e00e67257ba68cfae4b} lower risk (versus never-users)
- Calcium supplements – 36{d58828e17d46aa12a0c509c6bfd5d14d7ae30230ead45e00e67257ba68cfae4b} lower risk (versus never-users)
- Caffeinated coffee – 39{d58828e17d46aa12a0c509c6bfd5d14d7ae30230ead45e00e67257ba68cfae4b} lower risk in 4 cups per day (versus non-drinkers)
- Green tea – 20{d58828e17d46aa12a0c509c6bfd5d14d7ae30230ead45e00e67257ba68cfae4b} lower risk
What to look out for
As mouth cancer is dependent on early detection it is extremely important to attend dental check-ups regularly with your dentist. The survival rate of mouth cancer is 9 out of 10, but that is with early detection.
It’s extremely important that we all know what to look out for. The three signs and symptoms not to ignore are:
- Ulcers which do not heal in three weeks
- Red and white patches in the mouth
- Unusual lumps or swelling in the mouth, head or neck areas.
If you do notice any of these, consult your dentist or doctor immediately.
At Marquess Dental, when you attend a check-up with one of our dentists, we will perform an investigation to look for any early signs of mouth cancer. Our dentists are happy to explain the procedure with you and will welcome any questions.
To find out more about Mouth Cancer Action Mouth, click here: http://www.mouthcancer.org/
To book an appointment with us, call: 01248 787878
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