• 11/20/2006
  • Lancashire, England
  • Jane Lavender
  • (www.thisislancashire.co.uk)

A leading Bolton dentist is blaming a lack of access to NHS dental services for the soaring rates of mouth cancer.

Chris Brooks, an NHS dentist and president of Bolton’s Dental Society, believes people in the most high risk groups – those living in the most deprived communities and from ethnic minorities – are increasingly likely to develop the cancer because they cannot visit an NHS dentist.

Smoking and drinking alcohol are two of the main contributing factors in developing mouth cancer.

Ethnic minorities, especially those from the Asian community, who traditionally have difficulty seeing an NHS dentist, are also at very high risk because they chew Paan, a leaf snack used as a breath freshener, which can also cause oral cancer.

Mr Brooks said: “Access to dental services is extremely important, but the groups that are most likely to be affected, such as those in deprived areas and those in ethnic minorities, are the ones who can’t get an NHS dentist.

“Mouth cancer is very treatable in the early stages, but not when it’s advanced and could well have spread. If more people had access to an NHS dentist then the rates would reduce.”

Cases of mouth cancer have doubled in Bolton over the past 10 years. The number of people being diagnosed with the disease now matches that of those told they have skin cancer.

In 1996, just eight people were told they had mouth cancer, but that figure reached 15 in the last 12 months.

People with ulcers that will not heal, especially those on the lips, tongue and floor of the mouth, or with red or white patches in their mouth, should visit their family doctor or dentist as soon as possible.