British Dental Health Foundation Calls For HPV Vaccine For Boys
The UK’s leading dental charity, the British Dental Health Foundation, has called for the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine to be made available to boys in a bid to reduce the number of cases of oral cancer.
The vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer, is available for teenage girls, but research has revealed that HPV is a risk factor for oral cancer and the charity believes that boys should be vaccinated to protect against the virus.
The vaccination programme for girls aged 12 and 13 was launched in 2008 to protect against cervical cancer, but the BDHF believes that the programme should be extended to teenage boys in a bid to protect against oral cancer, a type of cancer, which has become increasingly prevalent among young people over the last ten years.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, said that the programme has already been expanded to include boys in Australia and the BDHF is now appealing for the vaccine to be made available in the UK. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that the programme would be the best solution in terms of the number of cases of oral cancer and the cost for the NHS.
The number of cases of oral cancer has almost doubled in the last ten years alone and more and more young people are being diagnosed with the condition as a result of lifestyle choices; the major risk factors are drinking alcohol, smoking and the HPV, which is passed through sexual contact.
Dr Carter also urged people to be aware of the symptoms and to keep an eye on their mouths; common symptoms to look out for include slow-healing mouth ulcers, red or white patches in the mouth and abnormal swelling.
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