The Australian Dental Association (ADA) would like to raise the awareness of oral cancer and the benefits or early detection. Three Australians are diagnosed with oral cancer every day.
Dr Michael Foley, Vice Chair of the ADA’s Oral Health Committee, said, “When Australians think of cancer it does not immediately come to mind that cancer can occur in the mouth. However, certain habits can increase a person’s risk of developing oral cancer – such as tobacco and alcohol which increases that risk by more than 80%. Heavy tobacco and alcohol consumers increase their risk by 38 times compared to those who do not consume these products. Oral cancer can also be caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) obtained from unprotected oral sex."
“If picked up early, oral cancer can be addressed relatively well – an 85% 5-year survival rate. However, the sad reality is that oral cancer is typically detected when advanced, where the 5-year survival rate can be as low as 9%."
Symptoms of oral cancer to keep an eye out for:
• A sore, irritation, lump or thick patch in the mouth, lip, or throat that does not go away
• A chronic ulcer or blood blister in the mouth that does not heal
• Difficulty chewing, swallowing, moving the jaw or tongue
• Prolonged swollen glands
• Difficulty speaking, or a change in the voice
• Numbness in the tongue or other areas of the mouth
• Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable
Dr Foley concluded: “60% of oral cancers are already advanced when they are detected – we can dramatically lower this rate with simple lifestyle changes":
• Limit alcohol intake
• Quit smoking (all forms)
• Practice safe oral sex and speak to your doctor about the HPV vaccine
• Avoid prolonged sun exposure and wear lip balm with SPF sun protection
• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day
• Maintain good oral hygiene
• Visit the dentist regularly for a checkup – as early detection can reduce the impact of the cancer
Your dental check up should include an oral cancer screening. Effective oral cancer screening is a visual and tactile examination, which also includes palpation of the neck and assessing the appearance of the tonsils and back of the throat. At Butler Dental, we routinely perform a stepwise visual and tactile oral cancer screening on each patient, at every dental check up appointment.