Oral Cancer Campaigners Call for Fees to be Waived
Campaigners are calling for care fees to be waived for patients diagnosed with mouth cancer.
At the moment, patients diagnosed with the disease have no guarantees that the NHS will fund restorative treatment and campaigners are pushing for new measures to be brought in with the new dental contract, to ensure that dental treatment is fully funded for those who have or had mouth cancer.
Dr Chetan Trivedy, clinical director at Birwood Dental Care joined forces with members of the British Dental Health Foundation to send an open letter to the British Dental Journal, airing their concerns about the current system, as mouth cancer patients are treated differently to patients with other forms of cancer.
An e-petition has also been set up and the letter has been published by other media outlets. Dr Trivedy said that it was time for dental professionals to stand up and represent their patients, to ensure that they have access to the same care services as other patients. He also added that it is only right that a patient with mouth cancer has access to the same level of support as patients with other forms of cancer.
The publication of the letter coincides with Mouth Cancer Action Month, an annual campaign run by the British Dental Health Foundation. The campaign runs throughout November and will be celebrated across the UK. Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the BDHF, said that it was important that people knew which signs and symptoms they should be looking out for and also suggested that survival rates may increase if oral cancer screening was available free of charge on the NHS.
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