Charity awareness walk

22 July 2013
Volume 29 · Issue 5

Staff at a Shropshire dentist are putting on their trainers to raise awareness about the dangers of mouth cancer.

Angelina Bilton and Frankie Trumper, who both work at Wycherley’s Dental Practice on Newport High Street, will take part in The Mouth Cancer Foundation’s annual 10km awareness walk on September 29 in London’s Hyde Park.

The walk, which starts at 2 p.m., aims to raise awareness to combat all head and neck cancers and 2013 promises to be the biggest walk yet.

Mrs Bilton, head of reception and a qualified dental nurse at the practice, said the pair would like to raise more than £500 for the charity.

“We need to create more awareness about this deadly disease,” she said.

“Often the symptoms are not recognised and people die because of late detection.

“Taking part in the walk is just a small thing we can do to raise funds to help people suffering from the disease.”

Miss Trumper, 19, a trainee dental nurse and massage therapist at the practice, said she was looking forward to the walk.

“We’ve been doing some training and I’m looking forward to being with other like-minded people to help raise funds to combat this disease.

“As a dental nurse, I’m very aware of the condition but often people don’t recognise the symptoms and we need to get the word out there.”

Practice owner Ashok Jakhu said dentists play a vital role in spotting mouth cancer.

“If mouth cancer is diagnosed early, a complete cure is often possible,” he said.

“It’s important that people have regular dental check-ups because dentists can often spot the early stages of mouth cancer.

“We need to increase public awareness about mouth cancer as too often people ignore the symptoms until it’s too late. 

“At Wycherleys Dental Practice, we have the Velscope soft tissue scanner, which helps detect any oral abnormalities much earlier, therefore improving prognosis. 

“We are one of the only practices in Shropshire to offer it to all our patients as part of their routine examination

“We are very proud of Angelina and Frankie for taking on this challenge and hope lots of people will sponsor them to raise money for this vital cause.”

To sponsor Angelina and Frankie, see their Justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/wycherleys

In the UK, nearly 8000 people are diagnosed with Mouth Cancer every year.  Cancers can occur in any part of the mouth, tongue, lips, and adjacent areas like the throat, salivary glands, pharynx, larynx, sinus, and other sites in the head and neck area.

Symptoms include:

1. An ulcer or white or red patch anywhere in the mouth that does not heal within 3 weeks

2. A lump or swelling anywhere in the mouth, jaw or neck that persists for more than 3 weeks

3. A difficulty in swallowing, chewing or moving the jaw or tongue

5. A numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth

6. A feeling that something is caught in the throat

7. A chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists more than 6 weeks

8. An unexplained loosening of teeth with no dental cause