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Mouth Cancer Awareness Day 17th September
On Wednesday 17th September 2014, the staff and students of the Cork University Dental School & Hospital and Irish dental practitioners nationwide will once again offer FREE mouth cancer examinations to the public during Mouth Cancer Awareness Day (MCAD) and advice on ways to reduce the risk of developing this disease.
Those wishing to attend the FREE Mouth Cancer Awareness Day in the Cork University Dental School & Hospital can book an appointment on the dedicated phone line 021-4901169 which will be open on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th Monday 15th, Tuesday 16th and Wed 17th September from 10am to 2 pm.
The campaign aims to raise public and professional awareness of mouth, head and neck cancer in Ireland and to highlight the importance of prevention and early detection. The campaign is led by Mouth, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Ireland (MHNCAI), a collaborative group of HNC survivors, Cork University Dental School & Hospital, Dublin Dental Hospital, Irish Cancer Society, Irish Dental Association and the Dental Health Foundation.
This initiative was launched by the Dental Hospitals in Cork & Dublin in September 2010. In 2011, with the Irish Dental Association’s support, over 700 general dental practitioners nationwide joined forces with the dental schools for MCAD. Over the past four years, the mouth cancer awareness days have succeeded in enhancing public and professional awareness of MHNC. To date approx. 20,000 people have received free mouth cancer examinations and 22 people have been diagnosed with oral malignancy as a direct result of this life-saving intervention. However, the true number of people who may benefit from the awareness campaign is difficult to estimate as the knowledge gained by one person can spread out to touch and enhance the lives of many others.
There is irrefutable evidence that early detection and treatment significantly improves the prognosis of patients with Mouth Head & Neck Cancer. The dental profession has a major role to play in reducing the immense burden of HNC by routinely performing a thorough mouth cancer examination on all patients. Indeed, it is hoped that this examination will soon become a standard part of any comprehensive dental and medical examination for all adults. Such opportunistic screening is a cost-effective means of increasing early detection of appropriate lesions which will undoubtedly save lives. This September, media campaigns will again encourages members of the public to be ‘mouth aware’ and attend their local GDP for a free mouth cancer examination and advice on ways to reduce their risk of developing this disease.