Leeds oral health specialists highlight the need for clean teeth
Dental professionals from Yorkshire are highlighting the importance of visiting your dentist regularly.
Oral health specialists in Leeds are making a special effor to tell people to keep their teeth and gums in top condition as part of Mouth Cancer Action Month.
More than 2,000 people die in the UK every year from oral cancer, that is one person every five hours, that figure has increased by 41 per cent in the last 10 years.
Kathy Fox, of NHS Leeds’ Special Care Dentistry Service, said that it the service was encouraging people to pursue a good oral health routine throughout their lives and added that they were particularly focusing on young people.
Ms Fox said that overall well-being is improved when people have healthy teeth and gums and claimed that this would minimize the risk of mouth cancer.
Excessive consumption of tobacco and alcohol and contracting Human Papilloma Virus, which is transmitted through close contact, increases a person’s risk of getting mouth cancer.
However, chances of survival are currently between 50 and 90 per cent if diagnosis is made early enough – so it is vital you visit your dentist.
Early warning signs of mouth cancer include persistent ulcers, red or white patches in the mouth and any other unusual oral changes.
To improve your oral health Ms Fox recommends that you should visit the dentist regularly, brush gums and teeth for two minutes twice a day, only eat sugary foods and drinks at mealtimes, and examine your mouth for unusual changes.
Dr Calvin Booth, NHS Leeds’ Special Care Dentistry Service clinical director, said that it is easy to pick-up good oral hygiene habits that could improve your overall health.
He added that regular visits to the dentist could save your life.
To find out more about oral cancer visit www.mouthcancer.org.
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