Dental charity highlights cancer drink link

TheUK’s leading oral health charity has highlighted concerns that,due to the increasingly developing drinking culture in Britain, the number ofmouth cancer cases is likely to ‘spiral to new levels’ in the future.The British Dental Health Foundation,responding to Government statistics showing that the number of alcoholrelated deaths in theUK has almost doubled since 1991,has drawn attention to the link between heavy alcohol consumption and oral cancer.

Dr Nigel Carter, the Foundation’s Chief Executive, commented: “The number of people affected by mouth cancer in the UK is increasing all the time and the condition kills around one in two people that develop it…Most people are aware that smoking increases your cancer risk but not everyone realises just how dangerous excessive alcohol consumption can be.People are drinking more and more these days and,with many so called ‘social smokers’ having a cigarette while they drink the likelihood is that the number of mouth cancer cases will continue to rise until people are forced to take notice.”

In the UK one person is killed every five hours by mouth cancer,while people who drink alcohol to excess are four times more likely to develop the condition.The type of alcohol consumed does not affect a person’s risk,with beer,wines and spirits all being equally harmful. In addition, as alcohol is known to aid the absorption of tobacco into the mouth, people who smoke and drink to excess are up to 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer. Smoking is the most common cause of mouth cancer. It transforms saliva into a deadly cocktail that damages cells in the mouth and can turn them cancerous.

Chief Dental Officer Barry Cockroft launched the Foundation’s Mouth Cancer Awareness Week campaign which took place from 12 to 18 November 2006 and aimed to increase public awareness of the condition. Studies have revealed that the public awareness of mouth cancer is very limited:

• Only 56% of people surveyed had heard of mouth cancer

• Over 76% of participants were aware of the link between smoking and oral cancer

• Only 19% of people knew that alcohol misuse is linked to mouth cancer

• People aged 25 to 34 had the highest knowledge about the links between smoking, alcohol and mouth cancer

The Mouth Cancer Awareness Week campaign, using the tagline ‘If in doubt, get checked out’, urged the public to look out for early symptoms of the condition.Campaign resources pointed out that, for every two people who develop the condition, one of them will be dead within five years, but that with early detection, nine out of 10 will survive.The role of the dental team in raisingawareness of this deadly oral disease is, therefore, vital, as an increase in early detection will only be achieved with an increase in awareness.The campaign stressed that tobacco and alcohol are the main risk factors,with a combination of alcohol and smoking significantly increasing the risk. If mouth cancer is diagnosed and treated early then the chances of a cure are good.