Mouth Cancer Becoming More Prevalent

Mouth Cancer Becoming More Prevalent

Written by Dentistry TodayWednesday, 07 November 2012 16:33

Younger people are developing mouth cancer more than ever before.

An initiative in Scotland has set out to make people under the age of 45 more aware about mouth cancer. These days, young people that do not smoke or drink are being afflicted with cancer more than in the past. Those are two of the biggest risk factors for mouth cancer.

The increase in the amount of oral cancer may be happening for many reasons. Two of the main reasons could be a poor diet or being exposed to the human papilloma virus.

Among the 900 people in Scotland that will develop oral cancer, research suggests that 10 percent of the cases will include young people that don’t drink or smoke.

The problem could be helped if more people were aware about the symptoms of oral cancer and how devastating it may be—and in some instances fatal. Dentists can help the overall awareness by educating their patients about the disease.

Research shows that there is a higher percentage of mouth cancer cases in Scotland than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Being more educated, as well as visiting the dentist on a regular basis, is the best way to combat mouth