Free mouth cancer screening…
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Free mouth cancer screening…
14.09.2011

Six people were diagnosed with mouth cancer as a result of the Open Day for Head Neck and Throat cancer held last September (2010) by the Cork and Dublin Dental Schools and Hospitals. Many cases of precancer were also detected and have since been treated. The Irish Dental Association is encouraging all General Dental Practitioners nationwide to offer a free Mouth Cancer examination and information for members of the public on Wednesday, September 21st. The two dental hospitals will also provide this service again this year. All information is available on the new Mouth Cancer awareness website: http://www.mouthcancerawareness.ie

Those wishing to attend Cork University Dental School & Hospital, Wilton should ring the dedicated phone line for an appointment on 021-4901169. This number will be operational from 10am to 4pm, from 14th -21st September. Those wishing to attend their local dentist should visit the above website or contact the practice to see if they are participating and check times.

The screening will be simple, painless and take about five minutes.  Follow-up appointments will be made for anyone who needs further investigation.   Visitors to the Cork University Dental School and Hospital should go to the CUH complex in Wilton.

Mouth, head and neck cancer is on the increase in Ireland yet remains a relatively unknown disease. It can affect the lips, gums, cheek, tongue, palate, tonsils, throat, salivary glands, sinuses, nose and larynx (voice box).  Symptoms include ulcers that won’t heal, white, red or speckled patches, neck lumps or swellings and difficulty swallowing.

The prognosis for early oral cancer is extremely good, with five year survival rates of 80% to 90%.  Survival rates, however, show a progressive reduction with advanced stage, with rates as low as 10% to 35% reported for advanced lesions.   In Ireland, head and neck cancer represents approximately 2% of cancer patients (registrations) and is responsible for 1.5% (or 150) of cancer deaths each year.  “It kills more people than malignant melanoma, Hodgkins’ disease or cervical cancer,” says Dr Eleanor O’Sullivan of the Cork University Dental School and Hospital who lead the initiative last year   “and yet it has a low profile among the general public and even among health care providers although it is the eight most common cancer world-wide.”

Many head and neck cancers can be detected by a relatively simple painless oral examination.  If detected early, minimal surgical intervention generally results in good outcomes.  “All these facts should make oral cancer very rare and easily treated in Ireland in 2011. Unfortunately, many patients still present with advanced lesions and for this reason, the five year survival rate has improved little in the last 40 years, remaining at less than 50%.”

Dentists are currently the only primary health care professionals trained specifically in oral cancer examination.  However, only a third of the adult Irish population visit a dentist annually, while less than 50% visit bi-annually.  In fact, attendance rates among older adults, medical card holders and those with no natural teeth are even lower.  Most (96%) people with full dentures feel that do not need to visit a dentist according to the Oral Health Report, 2007. Furthermore, international research indicates that individuals with an increased risk of oral cancer (males over 40 years, consuming more than 28 units of alcohol per week and smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day) rarely go to the dentist.

An educational lecture is being held for dental professionals by Dr Eleanor O’Sullivan and Dr Christine McCreary  on 14th September and other lectures are being held nationally. The Cork University Dental School and Hospital will also be involved in the investigation and follow-up of any suspicious lesions detected locally.

Picture: Dr Eleanor O’Sullivan

 



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