Open up to life saving check list

Are you able to recognise the changes in your mouth? That’s the question posed by the UK’s leading oral health charity, the Oral Health Foundation, as they launch Mouth Cancer Action Month 2016.

November is Mouth Cancer Action Month 2016, an annual charity campaign to raise awareness of signs, symptoms and causes of the disease and to ensure that we know how to act if we notice any changes inside our mouth.

New research by the Oral Health Foundation shows that as few as 40% of us are able to identify the major symptoms related to mouth cancer, which include non- healing mouth ulcers, red or white patches in the mouth and unusual lumps and swellings.

Dr Nigel Carter, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, spoke on these alarming findings: “In the UK, mouth cancer cases have increased by 39 per cent in the last decade alone and by 92 per cent since the 1970s, it is one of a very small number of cancers which is actually on the increase and therefore something we all need to be very aware of.

““Early diagnosis transforms a person’s chances of beating the disease from 50 per cent to 90 percent so it is crucial that everybody knows what to look out for.

“If you have any of the warning signs of mouth cancer it is vitally important that you visit your dentists straight away, it could save your life.”

For more syptoms log on to www. mouthcancer. org.