Last Updated on 1st February 2021
Evesham Dental Health Team offers FREE oral cancer screenings to all members of our community throughout the year, whether you are a patient or not.
This year we are making it our mission to educate as many people as possible about spotting the early signs of the disease, which is rising in the UK. Catching mouth cancer early saves lives – raising your chance of survival from 50% to 90%.
Cases of mouth cancer in the UK have nearly doubled in the last 20 years, yet an alarming number are unable to identify the early warning signs and symptoms. Last year, more than 8,700 British adults were given the news that they had mouth cancer. The disease is diagnosed in one person nearly every hour.
New research by the Oral Health Foundation reveals that 71% pf people do not know the symptoms of mouth cancer.
Further findings show more than 83% do not feel confident in what they are looking for when it comes to doing a mouth cancer check at home, while around 62% confess to never checking themselves for signs of the disease.
The signs – please share these with your family and friends
- Ulcers that do not heal within three weeks
- Red and white patches in the mouth
- Unusual lumps or overgrowth of tissue in the mouth
- Persistent hoarseness
- Difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty in chewing or moving the jaw or tongue
- Numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth
- A feeling that something is caught in the throat
- A chronic sore throat or voice change (hoarseness) that persists more than six weeks, particularly smokers over 50 years old and heavy drinkers
- Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable
- Neck swelling present for more than three weeks
- Unexplained tooth mobility persisting for more than three weeks – see a dentist urgently
- Persistent nasal obstruction, particularly associated with mucus (clear or bloody) discharge causing difficulty breathing through nose
- Unexplained persistent earache
Most mouth cancers appear on the tongue – around a third of all cases – but it can also strike on the tonsils, gums and lips. It can also be found on the roof or floor of the mouth, as well as the throat.
If in doubt, get checked out.
Evesham Dental Health Team in Broadway Road is part of the Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme at the Mouth Cancer Foundation, which supports people with mouth cancer and raises public and health professional’s awareness with the aim of saving lives.
If you have any concerns, contact us immediately and we will do all we can to help.
