ORAL CANCER is the sixth most common cancer in Guyana. In a few months, in the United States of America, the dental community will be launching a campaign to prevent and detect oral cancer. As part of our own Oral Health Month, which is usually held in October or November, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Colgate Palmolive, would generally promote the importance of regular dental checkups in fighting this deadly disease. I hope to be in Orlando, Florida at the American Dental Association’s session setting the groundwork to make available in Guyana a simple test, using the latest technology to check if a person has oral cancer.

Although everyone knows that cavities and gum disease can be identified during a regular dental checkup, it might not be common knowledge that dentists can also be a first line of defense against other illnesses.

Every organ system in the human body has diseases with oral manifestations. In fact, there are 120 different diseases, including oral cancers and AIDS, that have signs or symptoms which can be detected during a routine dental visit.

Cancer can affect any area of the oral cavity, including the lips, the lip and cheek lining, the top and bottom of the mouth (upper and lower palate), the teeth, the gums, the front two-thirds of the tongue, and the small space behind the wisdom teeth.

A dentist or a physician can see or feel the tissue changes or the actual cancer while it is still very small. This is significant, because subtle indicators may drastically increase the chance for survival.

Who is at risk for oral cancer? Oral cancers are the most common in those over the age of 40, and they tend to affect men more than woman. Risk factors include:

(1) Smoking in combination with heavy alcohol consumption (30+ drinks/week); (2) Tobacco use, in all forms (smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes; chewing tobacco, or dipping snuff);

(3) Regular, prolonged exposure to the sun (lip cancer);

(4) Habits such as lip or cheek biting and ill-fitting dentures, and

(5) A diet low in fresh fruits and vegetables.

While genetics can account for a predisposition to cancer, lifestyle plays an important role in determining who is considered most at risk. So what are the symptoms of oral cancer?

There are several symptoms that may be early signs of disease. Those experiencing the following symptoms should see their dentist immediately for possible referral to the Oral and Maxillo-facial Department at the Dr. Cheddi Jagan Dental Centre:

(1)   A sore in or around the mouth that bleeds easily or doesn’t heal within two

weeks;

(2) A change in the colour or appearance of soft oral tissues;

(3) A lump, thickening, a rough spot, a crust or a small, eroded area that increases

in size in or around the mouth;

(4) Unusual bleeding, pain, tenderness or numbness anywhere in the mouth or on

the lips;

(5) Difficulty in chewing, swallowing, speaking or moving the jaw or tongue;

(6) Swelling of the jaw that changes the way teeth fit together, or causes dentures

to suddenly fit poorly after being comfortable for some time;

(7) A change in the voice;

(8) Pain in the ear (jaw joint);

(9) A sore throat that does not go away, or a feeling that something is caught in

the throat;

(10) A white patch on the gums, tongue or lining of the mouth;