Staff And Students At Dundee University Raise Awareness Of Oral Cancer

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Staff and students at Dundee University are raising awareness of oral cancer as part of National Mouth Cancer Awareness Month, a campaign run by the British Dental Health Foundation.

Oral cancer is a problem in Scotland, with more people diagnosed with the deadly disease than anywhere else in the UK and staff and students at Dundee University are doing their bit to educate people about the causes and risk factors of oral cancer and to encourage them to see a dentist for a screening test this November.

According to predictions from the BDHF more than 60,000 people in the UK will be diagnosed with oral cancer in the next 10 years and around half of those people will die; at the moment, survival rates are poor because most cases are diagnosed when the disease is at an advanced stage. The aim of Mouth Cancer Awareness Month is to encourage people to go for regular dental checks and to keep an eye out for symptoms of the disease, which include red or white patches in the mouth, lumps in the mouth or throat and sores that take a long time to heal.

In Scotland there are 11.9 cases of oral cancer per 100,000 people, in comparison to 8.1 cases in England and 9.4 cases in Wales. Dr Simon Shepherd, clinical lecturer at Dundee University’s dental school, said that early detection is the difference between life and death and it is important people are aware of the warning signs so that they can see a doctor or dentist as soon as they notice the symptoms. In addition, the campaign will be educating people about the causes and risk factors, which include drinking, smoking, a poor diet and exposure to the HPV (human papilloma virus).

Staff and students will be taking time to educate the public about oral cancer and raise the profile of the disease to help improve survival rates and reduce the number of cases of oral cancer in the future.

 

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