April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month

This year an estimated 54,000 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed. Of those individuals, 43 percent will not survive longer than five years, and many who do survive, suffer long-term problems, such as severe facial disfigurement or difficulties with eating and speaking. The death rate associated with oral and oropharyngeal cancers remains particularly high because the cancers routinely are discovered late in their development.

Regular oral cancer examinations performed by your oral health professional remain the best method for detecting oral cancer in its early stages.

Be Mindful of Symptoms: Public Urged to “Check Your Mouth”
For the third straight year, the efforts of the Foundation and the dental associations cited above will be bolstered by the Oral Cancer Foundation’s Check Your Mouth™ initiative . Check Your Mouth encourages the public to regularly check for signs and symptoms of oral cancer between dental visits and to see a dental professional if they do not improve or disappear after two or three weeks.

Dr. Jayesh R. Shah