Britain's leading oral health charity has called on the Government to act on research detailing how simple cost-effective screenings can provide the early detection so important in saving the lives of mouth cancer patients.
The British Dental Health Foundation, organisers of the UK's annual Mouth Cancer Action Week, has urged the government to fund an NHS-led oral screening programme.
The charity's call follows a February 12th report published in the World Health Organisation (WHO) bulletin, which found visual oral screening an effective low- cost measure in preventing mouth cancer, which kills one person every five hours in the UK.
The research, led by RTI International, showed how early detection of mouth cancer was near-doubled by routine visual screenings.
Foundation chief executive Dr Nigel Carter BDS LDS (RCS) said: "This report confirms our message that prevention and early detection are key to curbing the effects of oral cancer.
"Early detection leads to survival 9 in 10 mouth cancer patients. With nearly 5,000 people diagnosed each year in the UK, investment in NHS screening would be a real lifesaver."
The new research studied 160,000 people in Southern India. Researchers found that targeting high-risk groups of alcohol and tobacco users during a nine-year screening programme cost as little as $6 per person.
Early detection was achieved in 42% of cases where routine screening took place, almost twice the 24% ratio in cases not taking part in screening programmes.
Sujha Subramanian of RTI said: "Our results show that screening for oral cancers is comparable or less expensive than the more widely accepted practice of screening for cervical cancers."
Four in five mouth cancer cases in the UK are linked to tobacco and smoking, creating a obvious group for targeting high-risk patients.
Smoking and chewing tobacco and the likes of paan and guthka place people at considerable risk. At last year's Mouth Cancer Action Week launch, WHO oral cancer expert Dr Saman Warnakulasuriya called for dentists to be given greater powers to prescribe smoking cessation treatments.
The Foundation's Annual campaign runs each November, under the tagline 'if in doubt, get checked out'. The campaign advises regular dental visits plus self- examination. Early mouth cancer warning signs include ulcers which do not heal within three weeks, red and white patches in the mouth and lumps or swellings in the mouth or neck, are also important.
The RTI International research can be found at mouthcancer.
Facts and Figures
In the UK over 4,750 are diagnosed each year.
Around 1,700 people die of mouth cancer every year.
Mouth cancer is more common in men than women, but the gap is closing Mouth cancer is more likely to affect people over 40 years of age, though an increasing number of young people are developing the condition.
Tobacco and alcohol are thought to contribute to 80 per cent of mouth cancer cases.
Smoking is the number one cause for mouth cancer. Cigarette smoke converts saliva into a deadly cell-damaging cocktail.
Switching to low-tar cigarettes will not help, as smokers of 'lights' tend to inhale more smoke than smokers of 'regular' cigarettes.
Although some people believe that chewing tobacco is safer than smoking, the reality is that it is even more dangerous. Chewing tobacco, paan, areca nut and gutkha are habits favoured by some ethnic groups.
Alcohol aids absorption of smoke into the mouth - people who smoke and drink alcohol to excess are 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer.
Poor diet is linked to a third of all cancer cases. Evidence shows an increase in fruit and vegetables lowers the risk, as can fish and eggs.
It is recommended that people enjoy a healthy, balanced diet, including food from each of the major food groups and including fruit and vegetables of all different colours as each colour contains different vitamins
Research now suggests the human papilloma virus (HPV) - transmitted by oral sex
- could soon rival smoking and drinking as a main cause of mouth cancer.
Early detection and treatment considerably increase survival chances, allow for simpler treatment and result in a better quality of life for sufferers.
The Charity
The British Dental Health Foundation is the UK's leading oral health charity, with a 30-year track record of providing public information and influencing government policy. It maintains a free consumer advice service, an impartial and objective product accreditation scheme, publishes and distributes a wide range of literature for the profession and consumers.
National Smile Month runs each May, to promote greater awareness of the benefits of better oral health, with Mouth Cancer Action Week each November.
British Dental Health Foundation
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