Mouth Cancer Action Month tried to educate the public on the risk factors associated with oral cancer; tobacco use (smoking and chewing), alcohol (to excess), poor diet, and the human papillomavirus (HPV). The advice was relatively straight forward and in-line with what most patients would already know about living healthily; don’t smoke, don’t drink, eat healthily and… don’t get HPV.
It is important that all risk factors are discussed and patients made aware of the benefit that certain lifestyle changes could have. In last month’s issue one article highlighted how few dentists felt comfortable discussing alcohol use with patients – I wonder how many would be at ease talking over the risks associated with oral sex. I wouldn’t put myself in the ‘prude’ category at all but I must admit to being slightly out of my comfort zone at the launch of Mouth Cancer Action Month. It was slightly surreal being at such a prestigious venue, one of the dining rooms in the House of Commons, with Professor Margaret Stanley from the department of pathology at the University of Cambridge (a lady who is old enough to be my mother) discussing the subject of oral sex. Despite being uneasy at the time, it is certainly an important topic. Professor Stanley was arguing in favour of HPV vaccination of males as well as females. She explained: “The burden of HPV associated cancers is now almost the same in men as in women. Men face a significant and rising risk of HPV-associated disease, and without vaccination men remain at risk. It is not fair, ethical or socially responsible to have a public health policy that leaves half of the population vulnerable to infection. This is why vaccinating men should begin immediately.”
Those who aren’t relishing the idea of that potentially awkward conversation need not worry though, there are suggestions that the antidote to sexually transmitted infections could well be in the dental practice’s hands... or more particularly in its social media presence. The recently published National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles showed that people were having sex less now than they were 10 years ago, and many have put this down to the pandemic rise in the use of social media. Dr Cath Mercer from the University College London commented: “People are worried about their jobs, worried about money, they are not in the mood for sex. But we also think modern technologies are behind the trend too. People have tablets and smartphones and they are taking them into the bedroom, using Twitter and Facebook, answering emails.”
I will admit to being somewhat sceptical of the practical business benefits of a dental practice’s Facebook page or Twitter account. However increased interaction, either in the community or through social media, could have the positive impact of improving the patient/dentist relationships to the point where the conversations about their smoking, drinking or sexual habits become less awkward; and who knows if a practice Tweets late at night it might keep patients on their mobile devices and distracted from other nocturnal habits - thus preventing the spread of mouth cancer. This whole social media thing could be much better than we thought!