Mouth Cancer Action has announced the launch of Mouth Cancer Action Month, which will take place during November.
The campaign is dedicated to raising awareness of mouth cancer, and working alongside charity partner the Mouth Cancer Foundation they will be hoping that all dentists, doctors and pharmacists help to spread the message and educate members of the public about a disease that claims more lives than testicular and cervical cancer combined. The initiative is Sponsored by Denplan and will promote the message if in doubt, get checked out' in a bid to save thousands of lives through early detection. The number of people diagnosed with mouth cancer in the UK has significantly increased over the last decade, with latest figures showing 6,767 new cases a year. Bamboos head dentist, Dan Rogers recently hosted an event on behalf of the Mouth Cancer Foundation charity, raising 200 from a raffle. The event saw shoppers at the Cardiff Retail Park visit a mobile dental unit for free cancer screening checks. One person loses their life to mouth cancer every five hours. As a result, action really must be taken to raise awareness and change this outlook for the better. Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, highlights the importance of early detection in the battle against the disease. Dr Carter says: "If the dental and wider health profession can inform and urge patients to regularly attend dental check-ups, we can increase the chances of mouth cancer being detected at an early stage. "The good news is that if mouth cancer is caught early enough then the chances of survival substantially increase. Encouraging patients to perform self-diagnosis such as looking for ulcers that do not heal within three weeks, red or white patches in the mouth and any unusual lumps or swelling can also help towards early detection. To register your support for Mouth Cancer Action Month, please visit www.mouthcancer.org/register.