Reducing Your Oral Cancer Risk
Precautionary measures
The incidence of people dying from oral cancer has increased 10% in the last decade, which shows there is still a lot to be done to increase awareness of the issue, and most importantly, work to reduce oral cancer risks.
Here at Abbey Road Dental a big part of our job is looking for the signs or oral cancer every time we perform an oral check. The reason we do this is because our highly qualified dentists and oral hygienists know how to identify the symptoms. It is also important to remember that your doctor may not look for the symptoms unless you go to the doctor with an oral issue, and as dentists we see parts of the mouth the doctor may not when checking your oral health.
Here at our St John’s Wood dental clinic you can be assured we will always do all we can to check for the symptoms of this disease, and do all we can to ensure you are aware of the risks and most importantly how you can reduce them.
Are you unsure of the risk factors related to oral cancer? Although it can affect anybody at random, a huge 91% of diagnoses are directly related to lifestyle, which means there’s a lot you can do to reduce your risk of getting the disease.
Here are the main risk factors to be aware of so you can start reducing your own risk right now:
Smoking
We are all aware of how bad smoking is for us, however, mouth cancer is a smoking risk that often gets overlooked. Unfortunately, most mouth cancer cases are a direct result of smoking. A fifth of people in the UK smoke, which accounts for around two thirds of all incidents of mouth cancer. Every cigarette contains over 4000 toxic chemicals which come into direct contact with the mouth. When you smoke, the chemicals are absorbed into the mouth via saliva, damaging the cells and giving them the potential to become cancerous. So if you want to reduce your risk of oral cancer by a third, it’s time to quit smoking.
Alcohol
Regular, excessive consumption of alcohol is an oral cancer risk and is responsible for around 30% of all oral cancer cases in the UK (source). These cases do not relate to the odd glass of wine of an evening, they relate to excessive consumption. So if you do drink more than the recommended amount of alcohol per day (3-4 units for men, 2-3 units for women) it is important to be aware of associated health risks, including the increased risk of oral cancer.
The HPV Virus
The HPV Virus (Human Papillomavirus) is an oral cancer risk many are unaware of. HPV, transmitted through oral sex, has the potential to be the leading cause of oral cancer, with numbers even higher than tobacco use. Most people will get HPV at some point in their lives, and 90% of those people won’t get any adverse effects from it at all, so there’s no need to panic about it. However, practising safe sex is a good way to reduce your risk.
Bad Eating Habits
Over 50% of oral cancer cases in the UK are down to a diet where an insufficient amount of fruit and vegetables are consumed. A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is good for you in so many ways and has been shown to not only reduce your oral cancer risk, but protect you from it.
Let Abbey Road Dental Help You Reduce Your Oral Cancer Risk
At our NW8 clinic, we will always check for signs of oral cancer when you come in for your checkups. We are also always more than happy to answer any questions you may have on this important topic. Due for a dental check up? Give us a call on 02076241603 and we will be more than happy to get you booked in.