Mouth Cancer Action Month – November 2021

A charity campaign run by the Oral Health Foundation which aims to raise awareness of mouth cancer and in turn, save thousands of lives through early detection and prevention. According to the NHS, the disease has grown by a third in the last decade and remains one of the very few cancers which are predicted to increase further in the coming years, which is why Mouth Cancer Action Month is so important.

Some facts and figures according to mouthcancerfoundation.org:

• 1 person every 3 hours is lost to mouth cancer
• There are over 8,300 new cases in the UK each year
• Mouth cancer causes more deaths in the UK each year than road traffic accidents
• Worldwide mouth cancer affects 650,000 per year
• More people in the UK die each year from mouth cancer than of cervical and testicular cancer combined.

The State of Mouth Cancer UK Report 2020/21 was released by the Oral Health Foundation and Denplan, as part of Mouth Cancer Action Month. It’s the UK’s only comprehensive review into mouth cancer and it is shocking to see that awareness of the signs and symptoms for mouth cancer are as low as 23%. Also, that mouth cancer referrals have fallen by 65% since the beginning of lockdown according to one of England’s biggest NHS Trusts. It is therefore now more important than ever to raise awareness of mouth cancer and if you spot any signs or symptoms, to ensure you see your dentist or GP.

Signs and symptoms of mouth cancer:

• Ulcers that do not heal within 3 weeks
• Pain or discomfort in the mouth
• Lumps and swelling of no obvious cause in the mouth or neck
• Bleeding from the mouth or throat
• Red or white patches inside the mouth
• Changes in texture; hardness, roughness
• Teeth that become loose
• Difficulty or pain with swallowing, chewing or moving the jaw
• Persistent hoarseness or changes to the voice
• Persistent coughing or the feeling that something is stuck in the throat
• Numbness or tingling of the lips or tongue
• Unexplained weight loss
• Dentures that suddenly stop fitting properly

If you think you have any of these symptoms it is important to see your dentist or doctor without delay. According to mouthcancerfoundation.org, if your cancer has been diagnosed early, it may be treated with surgery alone but leaving it any longer may mean you need a lot of the diseased tissue removed and replaced with grafts taken from other parts of the body.

Routine visits to your dentist and making healthy lifestyle choices such as quitting smoking and limiting your alcohol intake can all play a part in reducing your chances of developing mouth cancer. It’s time we learnt how to be mouthaware as mouth cancer can have a devastating impact on your life.