Source: www.dentistry.co.uk
Author: staff

Tobacco chewing is causing an ‘alarming’ rise in cases of mouth cancer in east London, health chiefs warned today.

Chewing paan, a mixture of tobacco and areca nut, is leading to a high number of patients in the Bangladeshi community in the London borough of Tower Hamlets being diagnosed, experts at Barts & The London School of Medicine and Dentistry in Whitechapel have revealed.

The findings emerged in a screening programme in the East End, led by Bart’s, when 1,300 people were tested for early signs of mouth cancer.

Most were from the Bengali community. One in 15 people were referred for further investigation.

The findings come in the same week that figures suggest that, nationally, alcohol is largely to blame for the rise in the rate of oral cancers among men and women in their forties.

The figures, released by Cancer Research UK, showed that since the mid-1990s, rates of oral cancers have gone up by 28% for men in their forties and 24% for women.

Anand Lalli, a clinical lecturer in oral surgery, said: ‘In parts of south Asia where paan usage is widespread, oral cancer is one of the commonest causes of death from all cancers. If oral cancer is caught early on, there is a good chance of curing it. But it becomes far less easy to treat the longer it is left.’

A team from the Centre for Clinical and Diagnostic Oral Sciences used a mobile dental unit to tour areas of East London, targeting the Bangladeshi community, especially those who rarely visited a dentist.

He advised regular dental check-ups for people worried about oral cancer, saying: “Your dentist is trained to spot the early signs of oral cancer such as ulcers or red or white patches on the gum or tongue. If you have any of these symptoms now you should see your dentist or doctor without delay.

‘If oral cancer is caught early on then there is a very good chance of curing it. But it becomes far less easy to treat the longer it is left,’ he said.

The Mouth Cancer Foundation has produced a new free leaflet in a bid to raise awareness of the symptoms of mouth cancer and risk factors. People can visit the charity’s website to request leaflets.