Top Videos

How Common Is Oral Cancer?

  • Who is affected? Any individual can be affected by oral cancer but those individuals who are above the age of 40 years are very much prone to get oral cancer. Men are quiet vulnerable to this medical condition.
  • How does it occur? Oral cancer is known to start off in the oral cavity of the mouth and then it can interfere with the ability of the individual to breath, talk, swallow food or even eat.
  • How common is oral cancer? This medical condition is ranked the fourth leading cause of cancerous infections in the African-American men. As per certain statistics it has been seen that more of the men are affected with this disease than the woman population.
  • Risk Factors: Few of the risk factors which can increase the chances of oral cancer are smoking cigarettes, alcohol abuse, lack of proper nutrition, sniffing of tobacco and prolonged exposure to the sun. Those individuals who smoke are known to be three times prone to get this condition than the ones who do not smoke. Those who drink and smoke would have up to 30 times chances of getting oral cancer. Few of the other risk factors would include regular chewing betel nuts, prior radiation therapy or radiotherapy, a diet which is rich in meat or processed food item and the HPV infection.
  • Symptoms: Few of the common symptoms of oral cancer would include a persistent case of lump present in the cheek, there are occurrence of painful sores, development of red or white patches, the individual would find it difficult to swallow or chew food, there have been changes in the voice of the individual, and loosening of the teeth. Few of the other symptoms are dentures which would be loose fitting, there is a constant sensation that something is stuck in the throat, hoarseness in the voice, there is a pain in the neck or the ear that would not go away easily, stiffness or pain in the jaw. Having any of these symptoms would not necessarily mean that the individual is suffering from oral cancer but it is always better to check with the doctor.
  • Prevention: One of the best method to prevent oral cancer is to first quit smoking or drinking alcohol. Also one should minimize their exposure to the sun.Also avoid intake of junk food items, processed meats and saturated fat items.
  • Is oral cancer dangerous? There have been more than 1800 deaths in UK alone due to oral cancer on a yearly basis. Many of the times these deaths could have been averted had the symptoms being diagnosed earlier. Hence it is important to get this condition diagnosed as early as possible. The oral cancer can be detected at its early stage itself for the doctor or the dentist to carry out a comprehensive examination of the mouth.There are certain complications of oral cancer is not diagnosed on time such as it can lead to difficulty in swallowing also known as dysphagia. Dysphagia in turn can lead to malnutrition or the food going in the wrong way, causing instances of choking or lung related issues. The individual may also come across speaking issues but the speech therapist can help with some exercise.
  • Ensuring that the mouth should be kept healthy: It becomes important for the individual to ensure that oral health is take care of to avoid any cases of medical condition. Hence timely meeting with the dentist is important even when the individual has been using dentures. This becomes extremely important for those individuals who have been drinking or smoking too often. Also one should ensure to stay healthy and eat nutritious food.