Supporting survivors

The Oral Health Foundation is concerned that mouth cancer survivors are not getting their stories heard due the problems that they face and are calling on everybody to help give them a voice during Mouth Cancer Action Month.

Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, said: “Imagine being told that you have won your battle with cancer, only then to live with many dramatic side effects of the treatment. Several of these issues affect how you go about every single aspect of your day to day life and this is what happens to thousands of mouth cancer survivors every year.

“As well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy many mouth cancer treatments involve highly invasive and dramatic surgery which can include removal of parts of a person’s mouth, tongue and jaw, often leaving them with severe difficulties communicating as well as physical disfigurement.

“Mouth cancer treatment also leaves many survivors with a loss of the sense of taste due to damage caused to the tongue, permanent dry mouth due to the removal of salivary glands, the loss of teeth and persistent bad breath.