Hospital Admissions Related To Smoking Increase, Despite Fall In Number Of Smokers
A recent research study shows that more than 1.6 million people were admitted to hospital with illnesses related to smoking, even though the number of smokers in the UK has fallen.
Of the 1.6 million people who were admitted to hospital, more than 10 per cent were cancer patients.
The statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that the number of young people who smoke is higher than the number of older adults who smoke.
Smoking is linked to a host of life-threatening conditions, including heart disease, strokes and cancer. Consequently, it also contributes to dental diseases including tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer, a form of cancer which has become increasingly prevalent over the last ten years.
According to recent figures, more than 6,500 patients are diagnosed with mouth cancer each year and the number is rising.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said that oral cancer has become more common in the last decade with the figures relating to hospital admissions associated with smoking. He finally said that it casts a gloomy shadow over the future, as smoking is a major risk factor for oral cancer.
Oral cancer is a major worry for dentists and health professionals because survival rates have stalled as many are not diagnosed until an advanced stage. Dentists are eager to educate people about the risk factors and symptoms of oral cancer so that more people are familiar with the disease and know how to spot early warning signs.
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