Oral Health Foundation calls for better education as mouth cancer cases increase
The Oral Health Foundation has called for better education as a new report shows that mouth cancer cases have continued to increase in the UK.
The State of Mouth Cancer UK Report 2022 revealed that mouth cancer rates have increased by 1% in the last year. The number of cases has risen by 34% in the last ten years and by 103% in the last two decades. The number of people dying from mouth cancer has increased by 75% in the last decade.
The Oral Health Foundation’s annual report, which is published to coincide with Mouth Cancer Action Month, outlines multiple recommendations to reduce rates, improve survival statistics and provide better support for patients affected by oral cancer. The charity has called for better education to raise awareness of the risk factors and symptoms, as well as improved access to NHS dental services to ensure early diagnosis. The foundation has also urged the government to provide funding for free NHS restorative dental care for patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Despite the rise in mouth cancer cases, there was some good news in the report. Awareness of mouth cancer has improved. The study shows that 90% of adults are now aware of mouth cancer, which is a significant increase from 65% in 2012. Knowledge of the symptoms and warning signs is still lacking, with less than 50% of adults aware that slow-healing, painful ulcers can be a symptom of mouth cancer.
One of the key messages the charity is keen to promote is the importance of awareness campaigns and education. Almost 80% of people surveyed by the Oral Health Foundation have never seen any public health messaging related to oral cancer and only 15% have seen an advert or poster in the last year. Improving awareness will enable more people to detect symptoms. Early diagnosis can increase survival rates by up to 90%.
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