The number of mouth cancer cases has risen sharply over the past decade.

It’s Mouth Cancer Action Month, and we’re dedicating November to raising awareness among our followers. Sadly, mouth cancer rates are on the rise in the UK, with almost 3000 Brits dying from the disease in 2017 alone. In today’s blog we’re talking potential causes, linking you to a handy guide teaching you how to spot the symptoms, and what you should do if you think something is wrong.

Mouth Cancer Facts

It takes more lives every year than cervical cancer and testicular cancer combined. Almost 50% of British adults admit to not knowing a single thing about Mouth Cancer. On top of that, 3/4 of British adults said they aren’t able to name a single sign or symptom of mouth cancer. 80% said they wouldn’t be able to tell you where in the body that the symptoms would appear. With the rates of the disease on the rise, why are so many of us uninformed about the disease?

Why are levels of Mouth Cancer on the rise?

Much like any other cancer, it can be hard to nail down a specific cause. Tobacco, alcohol, the human papillomavirus (HPV) and poor diet are said to be the top four causes of Mouth Cancer. By quitting smoking and cutting down your alcohol intake, as well as improving your diet and introducing more exercise into your lifestyle, you may lower your chances of developing oral cancer.

What should you be looking out for?

It can be hard for the average joe to tell whether they have oral cancer or not. It’s not something you often look for when you look at your mouth or your smile in the mirror. In this blog post, we’ve listed the most common and noticeable things that could be a sign or symptom of mouth cancer. Ultimately, regular check-ups at the dentist are the best way to make sure you don’t have any of the signs or symptoms. Your dentist has probably performed a simple cancer check on you before, without you even knowing. It’s a quick, non invasive, painless check of the mouth to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary.