Mouth cancer deaths surge 46% amid fears lack of NHS dentists means thousands of cases are missed
A SHORTAGE of NHS dentists could be driving a rise in mouth cancer deaths, a health charity has warned.
The Oral Health Foundation said that access to dentistry is in “tatters” and warned people may get diagnosed late because many cases are picked up during check-ups.
Mouth cancers led to the deaths of more than 3,000 people in the UK in 2021 - up 46 per cent from 2,075 a decade ago, according to figures.
Nine in 10 people will survive oral cancer when it is caught early, but this drops to a 50 per cent survival rate when people are diagnosed late.
Michelle Vickers, CEO of the , told the Sun the lack of NHS dentists is a "catastrophe waiting to happen".
She said: “Dentists are an essential part in the front-line fight and diagnosis of oral cancers.
Read more on mouth cancer
"Every dental check-up should include a mouth screen for the signs of cancer.
"This situation is fundamentally due to the failings of successive UK governments inadequately funding the provision of NHS dentistry."
There were 9,860 cases of mouth cancer in the UK in 2020/21 - up 12 per cent on the previous comparable year, according to the charity.
The number of NHS dentists in England is at its lowest level in a decade, with 90 per cent of practices not accepting new patients.
Adults seen by NHS dentists in England has fallen to 16.4million since the pandemic - compared to 22million pre-Covid.
Difficulties getting appointments have led to many people living in pain and, in some extreme cases, resorting to DIY dentistry, Healthwatch said earlier this year.
Nigel Carter, chief executive of the ORF, told the that dental check-ups "are a key place for identifying the early stage of mouth cancer".
“With access to NHS dentistry in tatters, we fear that many people with mouth cancer will not receive a timely diagnosis,” he added.
"This condition causes more deaths than car accidents."
Head and neck cancers are the eighth most common cancer in the UK.
Most cases are linked to smoking and alcohol misuse - but human papillomavirus (HPV) infection caught through oral sex has been linked to the rise.
Poor oral health might also be a precursor for the disease.
Mouth cancer can appear as a mouth ulcer which does not heal.
It can also present as red or white patches or unusual lumps or swellings in the mouth, head or neck.
Research shows that one in three mouth cancers are found on the tongue, and almost one-in-four are discovered on the tonsil.
When keeping an eye out for the illness, you should also check the lips, gums, inside of the cheeks, as well as the roof of the mouth.
Recent data from BDA revealed 23,577 dentists were carrying out NHS treatments in 2022/23, down from 24,272 the previous year.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The last time the figures fell below 24,000 - apart from during the Covid pandemic - was in 2014/15.
Commenting on the figures, Daisy Cooper MP, Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson, said: “People should not have to make an impossible choice between paying hundreds of pounds for private care, or going without and risk having a life or death disease unchecked."
The 4 signs of mouth cancer you need to know
In the early stages the signs of mouth cancer can be subtle and painless.
The potential symptoms of mouth cancer are:
- A mouth ulcer that does not heal within three weeks.
- White or red patches in the mouth.
- Unusual lumps or swellings in the mouth, head or neck.
- Any persistent ‘hoarseness’ in the voice.