Source: enterprise-journal.com
Author: Charles Dunagin

Americans are dying of self-inflicted diseases that, for many, are “preventible,” says a professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Dental School.

Dr. Karen Moak Crews, a 1975 graduate of McComb High School, is oral oncology and bio behavioral medicine director at UMC as well as a professor.

Speaking to the McComb Rotary Club Wednesday, she warned against tobacco use of any type, including smokeless tobacco.

Tobacco is the No. 1 cause of diseases and death in America, she said.

Her main topic was oral cancer, which she said doesn’t get the publicity of some of the other cancers but is deadlier than most.

The five-year survival rate for cancers in the mouth is 50 percent, she said, adding a big problem is late diagnosis.

She urged regular screening by dentists for the disease.

Risk factors, she said, include age, genetic mutation, nutrition, a sexually spread virus, alcohol and tobacco use.

Citing statistics that alcohol in moderation — two ounces daily for a male and one ounce for a female — is considered safe by medical professionals, Crews said “there is no safe level for tobacco.”