The Tribune

By DR SPARKMAN

FERGUSON

REGISTRAR BAHAMAS DENTAL COUNCIL

HAVE you ever watched a major league baseball game and seen almost everyone in the dugout chewing or sucking tobacco then spitting out the tobacco juices? Do you think those athletes and team managers are aware that smokeless tobacco products contain at least 28 known chemicals that can cause cancer? They should, but I’m not sure that they do.

We live at a time when one of the few words that gets our attention is cancer. However, two other words that should get our attention equally are early detection.

Many persons are stunned to discover that cancer occurs within the mouth. The usual perspective is that cancer only attacks a few select areas of the body. Although oral cancer is not as prevalent as many others, it accounts for three per cent of all cancers.

As a matter of fact, most mouth cancers are linked to cigarette smoking and/or heavy alcohol use. Using tobacco and alcohol together pose a much greater cancer risk than using one of them. It is estimated that the five-year survival rate for local mouth cancer is 83 per cent, but this rate dramatically drops to 32 per cent if the cancer spreads to other organs.

With this knowledge, one would think that persons would steer away from these substances. Life is not so simple.

The lifestyles where there is heavy drinking and tobacco usage create a good reason for regular oral exams, which aid in the early detection of disease. These exams are doubly important for persons who smoke and those who are heavy drinkers.

Incidentally, a person who has two dental checkups a year actually gets two cancer screenings a year. This becomes really important because if oral cancer presents itself, it will be discovered very early.

It is noteworthy that oral cancer most often occurs in persons over the age of 40. In almost every case of mouth cancer, there is a red patch lesion or a white patch lesion somewhere in the mouth. Red lesions are less common but have a greater potential for becoming cancerous. It should be noted that every red or white patch in the mouth does not signal that cancer is present. If either of these two lesion types appears and remains for two weeks, a biopsy examination becomes a consideration.

Other possible signs and symptoms of oral cancer include lumps in oral soft tissues, soreness or a feeling like something is caught in the throat, difficulty chewing or swallowing, difficulty moving the jaws or tongue, and hoarseness. It is important to note that the tongue is very susceptible to developing cancer. Lip cancer is also a concern and calls for individuals to be vigilant about excess sun exposure which is usually the cause.

Prevention of oral cancer is obviously the goal for dental health professionals and persons who are at the greatest risk. Everyone who is interested in preventing personal mouth cancer has an obligation to himself or herself to avoid tobacco products and heavy alcohol consumption. The baseball players in the dugout and others have increased their own risk of developing mouth cancer with the use of smokeless tobacco. Smokers should have a personal goal to wean themselves off of cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Heavy drinkers should have a goal to reduce their consumption of alcohol.

It is certain that the incidence of mouth cancer will be reduced significantly with the control of these hazardous substances. It is also important that persons have regular dental examinations as they seek to withdraw from cancer causing substances to help with early detection.