Recently my daughter was one of the first 12 and 13 year old girls to be vaccinated against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) as this has been linked to causing cervical cancer. I must admit both my wife and I, being from medical back grounds debated this trying to balance the risks of vaccination with its benefits. HPV is transmitted by unprotected intercourse and oral sex.
We are so glad we did get her vaccinated because HPV has now been linked to the steady increase, we are seeing as dentists, especially in younger people of mouth cancer. This means that she will also be protected from this horrendous cancer.
You may be shocked but 5000 people each year are diagnosed with mouth cancer and 1700 are killed by it annually. That is more than all the people who die due to cervical and testicular cancer added together. So why aren’t we vaccinating boys too?
I would like to lend support to a campaign to get vaccination for both boys and girls for this virus, a policy which has been adopted by other countries. It just makes common sense addressing the problem of rising HPV–related mouth cancer deaths in a simple, fair and effective manner.
Please forward this blog to friends and family and you local politician.
Mouth cancer screening is a routine part of new patient and re care appointments at Smile Style. Having spent my early years working in hospital I am very aware of the importance of early diagnosis. For more details about the practice visit http://www.smilestyledentist.co.uk/
I firmly believe self–diagnosis and regular trips to the dentist are an important and easy way to monitor against mouth cancer. Early detection can raise survival chances to over 90 per cent.
Three easy to spot warning signs are
• Mouth ulcers that do not heal within three weeks.
• Red or white patches in the mouth.
• Unusual swellings or lumps within the mouth or neck.
Good preventative measures are also to stop smoking and reduce your alcohol consumption especially spirit drinking.
No comments:
Post a Comment