New research on mouth cancer
Following the recent announcement from Cancer Research UK that revealed mouth cancer cases in the United Kingdom have jumped by 68 per cent in the last 20 years, a new report from a leading oral health charity shows that we actually know very little about one of its major causes.
The human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection in the world, is an infection which almost every single sexually active person will get at some stage during their lifetime, and could well be responsible for this remarkable surge in the increase of mouth cancer.
Yet, as part of Mouth Cancer Action Month, the Oral Health Foundation has discovered that an alarming four out of five Brits (81 per cent) are unaware that HPV is a leading cause of mouth cancer.
As a result, the charity is calling on dental and health associations and bodies, the Government and policy makers, as well as other charities, to help increase public awareness of the potential impact of HPV in a bid to reduce the amount of lives lost to mouth cancer each year.
The Oral Health Foundation particularly want further education and support for those aged between 25 and 34. This group displayed least awareness of the link but are conceivably at the highest risk due to low HPV vaccination levels and high levels of sexual activity.
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