Mouth Cancer Walk Raises Awareness
A sponsored walk has successfully raised awareness of mouth cancer.
The Mouth Cancer Foundation provided free oral cancer screening for 77 people on September 17th after hosting the annual Mouth Cancer Awareness Walk. The 10 km walk is designed to raise awareness of the disease, which has become increasingly common in recent years.
The screening sessions were provided by the Department of Community Special Care Dentistry at King’s College, London and members of the Oral Medicine Department at the Eastman Dental Institute.
During the day, 77 people were screened for mouth cancer and 19 people were advised to go and see their doctor or dentist for referral to a specialist.
Dr Joshi, founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation, said that many of the cases diagnosed in the UK are advanced because people are unaware of the symptoms and causes of mouth cancer. Screening sessions and regular dental visits can help to ensure that early warning signs are spotted and treatment is administered as early as possible.
This month is Mouth Cancer Action Month, a national campaign, which will run throughout November. Practices across the country will be offering free oral cancer screening and events will be taking place to raise awareness of the disease. The number of cases of mouth cancer has doubled in the last decade alone and foundations, such as the Mouth Cancer Foundation and the British Dental Health Foundation, are eager for more people to look out for signs and symptoms, including slow-healing ulcers and abnormal lumps or swellings in the mouth or throat.
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