You can’t get mouth cancer if you don’t smoke

Oral cancer can be caused by smoking, but smoking isn’t the only risk factor, says Dr Nigel Carter, a dental surgeon and chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation. ‘Oral cancer is more common in men over 40, and in people who drink alcohol (especially if they also smoke). But it’s also caused by the same virus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer. Teenagers are offered a vaccine to prevent HPV while they’re still at school, and before they become sexually active, and it’s important that they take this up.’