10 November 2006

Mouth cancer awareness week 12th - 18th November 2006

The rise in mouth cancer rates in Scotland - where incidence is twice that of the rest of the UK - will be highlighted in Tayside next week as part of Mouth Cancer Awareness Week.

Mouth cancer rates have doubled over the past twenty years and in Scotland continue to rise quicker than in the rest of the UK. The majority of cases occur in people aged over 50, but there is a worrying trend towards an increase in younger people.

Scotland’s wider dietary and social problems can be at least partly blamed for the high rates of oral cancer - at least 75% of cases are associated with tobacco and alcohol, and a healthy diet of fresh fruit and vegetables can play a role in prevention.

Next week staff and students within University of Dundee Dental School & Hospital, and the wider Dental Community, are set to raise awareness of the disease and the steps that can be taken to help combat it.

"It is vital that we raise awareness of oral cancer rates, particularly in Scotland where we have a problem that is growing far quicker than anywhere else in Britain," said Professor Graham Ogden, of the Unit of Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine at University of Dundee Dental School.

"We have to educate people on the key factors which are evident in the development of mouth cancers. For instance, while the majority of people know that cancer can arise in the mouth and that smoking is implicated, few realise there is also a strong association with excessive alcohol consumption."

"Alcohol misuse costs Scotland more than £1 billion per year, and this is another example of the devastating toll wreaked by excessive consumption."

"We also strongly advise that people attend regular dental examinations, which provide the opportunity for screening the mouth for dental and mucosal (mouth lining) disease."

"A healthy diet of fresh fruit and fresh vegetables will also help prevention of the disease."

"This campaign adds to other initiatives in Scotland, such as the Ben Walton Trust (http://www.benwaltontrust.org/) and the Scottish Oral Cancer Action Group, that have sought to raise public and professional awareness of oral cancer."

Professor Ogden recommends that anyone who has noticed a lump, ulcer or colour change in their mouth should see a dental surgeon.

As part of the awareness raising exercise next week:

• There will be a display in the Dental School and Hospital
• 4th and 5th year dental students will be manning a stall in the Students Association each lunchtime
• Stalls and stands will be erected in Springfield Health Centre in Arbroath and Whitehills Health Centre in Forfar throughout the week
• The Unit of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery in Ninewells Hospital will also have an information board running.
• Members of the Community Dental team led by Dr Sally Meritt will be in the Health Shop in the Overgate on Thursday 16th November 2006 from 12 - 3pm
• On Thursday 16th November there will be a manned display and stand in Morrison’s Supermarket in Arbroath from 10 - 4. There will also be a competition running in conjunction with this.

The week’s events have been supported by sponsorship from GlaxoSmithKline.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Mouth cancer can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat.

There are 4,400 new cases and 1,700 deaths every year in the UK, and those figures are increasing each year. Survival chances are much improved with early detection, so the number of deaths could be greatly reduced if people were more aware of the symptoms.

The first sign of mouth cancer is often a non-healing mouth ulcer or a red or white patch in the mouth. It is important that you examine your own mouth on a regular basis. If you have a mouth ulcer that hasn’t healed after three weeks, or you notice any unusual changes in your mouth you should visit your dentist as soon as possible for an examination.

Mouth cancer is most common in people over 40 who smoke or drink alcohol. It is also twice as likely to strike men as women.

However, the number of young people and women developing the condition has been increasing in recent years.

If mouth cancer is diagnosed in its early stages it can respond well to treatment and the chances of a complete cure are good. This is why regular dental check-ups are so important.

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk