Mouth cancer campaign supports Stoptober

Mouth Cancer Action Month 2012

The UK’s largest oral health charity, the British Dental Health Foundation, is backing Stoptober – a national campaign which is challenging Britain’s eight million smokers to quit for a month.

Launched by the government, the Department of Health campaign runs throughout October and offers support by providing useful tips, daily motivational text messages and invaluable tools to help people kick the habit.

Smoking remains the biggest cause of premature death in the UK and accounts for one in four cancer mortalities and nearly a fifth of all cancer cases. Smoking is linked to three-quarters of all mouth cancer cases and remains the most likely cause of the disease which kills one person every five hours in the UK.

Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Foundation, which runs Mouth Cancer Action Month, thinks Stoptober provides a great opportunity for smokers to give up the habit.

Dr Carter said: “Most people are now aware that smoking presents a very real danger to health. With so many concerns surrounding its damaging effects, Stoptober is a vital campaign, which the Foundation supports wholeheartedly.

“There is proof that people who get help stand a better chance of giving up. By organising campaigns such as Stoptober, smokers can continue to find the support they need and are given the final push and encouragement to finally give up smoking.”

According to the World Health Organisation, up to half of current smokers will eventually die of a tobacco-related disease, including mouth cancer. Smoking helps to transforms saliva into a deadly cocktail that damages cells in the mouth and can turn them cancerous.

Mouth Cancer Action Month, which takes place during November, is another opportunity for healthcare professionals to encourage smokers to give up for good. With the slogan of ‘If in Doubt, Get Checked Out', the campaign stresses the importance of undertaking regular dental visits and self-examinations. Dr Carter says following this advice could lead to early detection of the mouth cancer and other smoking-related diseases.

“During Mouth Cancer Action Month the dental profession is in a unique position to warn patients about the risks and consequences of smoking. Throughout the campaign we are encouraging dental practices all over the UK to hold free mouth cancer screening sessions and reinforce the message that regular visits to the dentist can help detect early signs of mouth cancer, as well as other oral health diseases.”

Early mouth cancer warning signs include red and white patches in the mouth, ulcers which do not heal within three weeks and lumps or swellings in the mouth or neck.

Early detection and prevention are major factors in curbing the effects of mouth cancer and considerably increases survival chances, allowing for simpler treatment and results in a better quality of life for sufferers.