Don’t ever ignore those painless sores or white patches in your mouth if you have the habit of consuming tobacco products. They may be early symptoms of oral cancer, claim dental experts.
Sources at the Government Dental College Hospital, Kozhikode, said that lack of proper awareness about the ill-effects of tobacco products was leading to a high number of oral cancer cases in the State.
Around 110 oral cancer cases had been reported at their hospital in the past 10 years alone. Many other patients would have approached other private and government hospitals and dental clinics. There could be undiagnosed cases that led to deaths too.
M.N. Navajeevraj, secretary of the Indian Dental Association (IDA), Malabar, pointed out that though people in the 40s or 50s were diagnosed with oral cancer earlier, now even youngsters were found to have its symptoms.
“Tobacco is freely available outside some educational institutions and the use of tobacco and pan masala is rising among teenagers. With the presence of a high number of migrant labourers, such products are available more now,” he claimed.
WHO statistics
According to the World Health Organization, around 3 lakh people succumb to oral cancer a year. Oral cancer also occupies a prime space among the cancers being reported in the country.
The death rate can be reduced only through proper awareness on healthcare, early diagnosis of symptoms, and factors that cause the disease.
Painless sores
The sources said there were certain preconditions which might be the forerunners of mouth cancer. They might present themselves as white patches or painless sores inside the mouth.
When identified early, they could be prevented from turning into cancer.
It required frequent self-examination and expert advice from a dentist to identify and get treatment at the earliest.
“Once mouth cancer is diagnosed, the treatment is quite expensive and requires extensive surgery. To avoid this, there should be adequate information on the ill-effects of smoking and usage of pan masala products.”
“There is a need to examine the mouth on our own regularly and consult a dentist at least once in six months. Injuries that don’t heal beyond two weeks, colour changes in the mouth, lumps and unusual swellings, especially those painless ones, should be examined,” they added.
Awareness campaign
A nationwide oral cancer awareness campaign is going on to mark the three-day 28th national conference of Indian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology to be held in Thiruvananthapuram from November 1. It will reach Kozhikode on October 15.