April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month
Contact: Steven Lee, 210-450-3823, lees22@uthscsa.edu
Content contributed by Kristen Zapata
SAN ANTONIO, April 23, 2024 – Oral and oropharyngeal cancers account for more than 58,000 new cancer cases each year in the U.S. alone, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. Early detection is crucial for successful treatment, making routine dental checkups more than about clean teeth and fresh breath.
April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and dentists can play a vital role in identifying oral cancer at its early stages, significantly improving the odds of their patients overcoming the condition.
What and how?
Oral cancer can affect any part of the mouth, including the lips, tongue, cheeks, floor of the mouth, hard and soft palate or gums.
“Risk factors for developing oral cancer include tobacco from the use of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, hookah or betel quid,” said Tiffany Tavares, DDS, DMSc, clinical assistant professor of oral medicine with the School of Dentistry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio). “Alcohol consumption is another risk factor as is a chronically weak immune system, a previous history of cancer or cancer in the family.”
Tavares said that radiation exposure to the head and neck area is another risk factor for oral cancer as well as certain conditions such as oral lichen planus, a chronic inflammatory disease, and contact with certain human papillomavirus strains, also referred to as HPV, that are sexually transmitted.
“The outer lip is susceptible to cancer as well and the main risk factor is sun exposure,” she said.
It’s essential to be aware that oral cancer can also occur in individuals with no known risk factors.
Signs and early detection
“Because general dentists and registered dental hygienists see the vast majority of dental patients, they are in a unique position to screen for oral cancer,” said Brian Secrist, DDS, a dentist…
