Oral Cancer Screening Underway in Ireland
Dentists across Ireland are offering free oral cancer screening appointments today.
The screening programme is part of the Mouth Cancer Awareness Day campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the disease. Mouth cancer kills more people than testicular and cervical cancer combined, but many people are unaware of the symptoms they should be looking out for because the disease has a low media profile.
Last year around 3,000 people attended free oral cancer screening sessions and this year organisers are hoping for an even better turnout. Mouth cancer is becoming increasingly common and dentists and health experts are eager to educate the public about the sins and symptoms so that they can keep an eye out and visit their dentist if they notice any changes in their mouth. Early diagnosis is key, as the chances of survival are much higher; if cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, the prognosis is not very positive. At the moment, many cases are not diagnosed until an advanced stage, as people are unaware of the symptoms.
Screening will be available at 750 practices across the country as well as the dental schools at Dublin and Cork hospitals. The campaign is being supported by the Irish Dental Association.
Dr Eleanor O’Sullivan, from Cork University Dental School, said that it was important that more people were made aware of the symptoms and causes of oral cancer; she added that most people are unaware that drinking and smoking can increase your risk of developing mouth cancer by 30 times and urged people to make the most of the free appointments available. The checks only take 5 minutes and they are completely painless.
Signs and symptoms to look out for include slow-healing sores, white or red patches in the mouth and abnormal swellings or lumps in the mouth or throat.
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