West Devon Dental Practice to Host Oral Cancer Screening
A dental practice in West Devon is hosting free oral cancer screening sessions to celebrate Mouth Cancer Action Month.
Chagford Dental Practice is holding an open screening session on Wednesday 16th November, which is open to all members of the public, not just patients registered with the practice.
The screening session is being offered as part of Mouth Cancer Action Month, a national campaign run by the British Dental Health Foundation. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of the disease and encourage people to visit their dentist for a screening. In the last decade alone, the number of cases of mouth cancer has doubled, yet many people are still unaware of the symptoms and warning signs they should be looking out for.
Mouth cancer kills more people than cervical and testicular cancer combined, however, there has been little media focus on the disease and as a result of this public awareness is low. Surveys conducted by the BDHF found that the majority of people are unaware of the causes, which include drinking, smoking and exposure to the Human Papilloma Virus. As awareness is poor, many cases of the disease are not diagnosed until an advanced stage, when treatment is less likely to be successful.
Dentists across the UK are urging the public to get involved in screening programmes and to look out for the symptoms of mouth cancer, which include abnormal swellings in the throat or mouth, slow-healing sores and ulcers and red or white patches in the mouth. In addition to screening sessions, regular dental visits will help to ensure that cases are diagnosed early.
Join this Discussion
