8 people die from mouth cancer every day in UK, figures show
A North Yorkshire dentist is warning us to check our mouth regularly
8 people die from mouth cancer in the UK every day, according to research from the Oral Health Foundation.
Dentists want more people to check for signs of mouth cancer, after figures showed a rise in the number of people getting the disease in recent years.
The research also states cases have jumped by over one-third (34%) in the last decade, and have more than doubled (103%) in the last 20 years.
More than two-in-three mouth cancers in the UK are diagnosed in men and, alarmingly, more than half of all mouth cancers are diagnosed in stage 4, when the cancer is at its most advanced.
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As part of November's Mouth Cancer Action Week, health experts across the UK want to raise awareness about the condition.
Experts say mouth cancer is heavily linked to smoking and consuming alcohol over the recommended limit, which can increase risk of diagnosis by over 30-times.
Some dentists reckon missed check-ups during the COVID pandemic, and the cost of living crisis dissuading people from paying for private screenings, could be contributing to increasing rates too.
Dr Catherine Tannahill is the Principal Dentist at The Smile Rooms, Malton: "I am concerned about rising cases, we're seeing about three thousand deaths a year from mouth cancer so it's a little bit of a scary statistic it's actually killing more people than cervical cancer or skin melanoma's."
"We don't hear about oral cancer as much, a lot of people aren't aware of oral cancer as a disease, we know that 97% of people don't know that going to the dentist is one of the most effective protections against mouth cancer and also education as well."
To learn more about mouth cancer this Mouth Cancer Action week, and find out how to spot the signs of mouth cancer for yourself, visit https://www.dentalhealth.org/spotthesigns