Mouth cancer warning as deaths surge after Brits struggle to see NHS dentists
Deaths due to mouth cancer have surged as access to NHS dentists has collapsed. The disease killed more than 3,000 people in 2021 - up 46%, from 2,075 a decade ago, data obtained by the Oral Health Foundation shows.
Chief executive Nigel Carter said dental check-ups “are a key place for identifying the early stage of mouth cancer”. He said: “With access to NHS dentistry in tatters, we fear that many people with mouth cancer will not receive a timely diagnosis,”
The British Dental Association said that nine in 10 people survive oral cancer when it is caught early but this drops to a 50% when people are diagnosed late. A BBC investigation last year revealed 90% of UK NHS dental practices were not accepting new adult patients.
Eddie Crouch, chairman of the British Dental Association, said: “Every dental check-up doubles as an oral cancer screening. When late detection can radically reduce your chances of survival, the access crisis millions face will inevitably cost lives. This condition causes more deaths than car accidents.
More than two-thirds of mouth cancers are in men and most are in smokers. Heavy drinkers are also at increased risk while some cases are linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection through oral sex. The cancer can be on the tongue, throat, lips or gums. The Mirror recently revealed desperate patients unable to access an NHS dentist have surged to a record 12 million in England.
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Louise Ansari, chief executive at Healthwatch England, said: “Dentistry continues to be one of the top issues people report to us across the country, with great swathes of the population unable to get help for urgent painful symptoms. Ultimately, the dental system needs fundamental reform to increase and attract more dentists, improve oral health from birth, reduce cost and improve access when required.”
It follows recent reports from Faversham, Kent last month, where a practice received 27,000 calls for just 60 NHS slots, and in Kings Lynn which in May saw queues of more than 300 form from 4am.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP said: “The Conservatives have overseen the managed decline of NHS dentistry in the last 13 years, leaving patients in pain and thousands of cancer cases going missed. The longer cancer patients wait for a diagnosis, the worse their chances become.”
Mouth cancer symptoms can include a mouth ulcer lasting more than three weeks, a red or white patch inside the mouth or a lump in the mouth, lips, neck or throat.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “We’re boosting the number of dentists and we’re looking at how we improve the contract, we have already made a number of changes. But the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death is smoking... not just in cancers but also in other health conditions like strokes, as well.”
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