At City Dental Leeds, we are determined to fight oral cancer and we urge all our patients to keep up to date with dental checks and oral cancer screening. Like many forms of cancer, the earlier oral cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances of survival. Here are six facts about oral cancer:
- More than 6,800 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year in the UK. This works out at more than 18 people every day.
- Oral cancer is much more common in men than women. According to Cancer Research UK statistics for 2011, 4,510 cases were diagnosed in men, compared to 2,257 in women.
- Oral cancer is becoming more common. Studies and statistics show that the number of cases has almost doubled in the last 10 years.
- The main risk factors for oral cancer include smoking, drinking, exposure to radiation and other occupational environmental hazards. Around 65 percent of cases are linked to smoking and 91 percent of cases are linked to lifestyle factors.
- Eating a healthy diet packed with fruits and vegetables can help to reduce your risk of developing oral cancer. A poor diet and insufficient intake of important nutrients contained in fruits and vegetables are linked to more than 50 percent of oral cancer cases in the UK.
- The most common signs of oral cancer include persistent and slow-healing sores in the mouth or throat, a lump or swelling in the mouth or throat and red or white patches in the mouth. Other signs may include a persistent sore throat and difficulty swallowing.
If you have any questions about oral cancer or you’d like to book a screening test, don’t hesitate to call us. Screening checks are comfortable and they take just a few minutes. We simply use an advanced camera to look inside the mouth and check for any potential signs. Screening is important because it flags up potential abnormalities that may not yet be visible to the human eye.
Tags: Oral Cancer Leeds, Oral cancer screening, Oral cancer screening Central Leeds, Oral cancer screening Leeds
