Members of the public are being urged to visit Perfect 32 Dental Practice which is opening its doors between 0830 and 1700 on Thursday 14th November 2013. The address for Perfect 32 is as follows: 8 Ladygate, Beverley, HU17 8BH. Please call 01482 863667 for an appointment.
The screening will be led by Practice Manager, Nicki Rowland, who says “We have decided to get involved in the Mouth Cancer Action Month as we believe the public needs to be more aware about mouth cancer and the importance of regular dental visits. Our patients are screened for mouth cancer at every check up and this is a great opportunity for those without a dentist or whose dentists don’t screen them, to get checked out.”
Dentists have a key role to play in the early detection of mouth cancer and in prevention of the disease by identifying those patients who are exposed to risk factors. In the UK, nearly 8000 people are diagnosed with Mouth Cancer every year.
Mouth Cancer Action Month runs in conjunction with the Mouth Cancer Foundation’s Mouth Cancer Screening Accreditation Scheme*.
Mouth Cancer Foundation People’s Ambassador, Pat Jones, knows just how important it is that dentists carry out mouth cancer screening. Pat lost her daughter, Clare Jones, to tongue cancer at just 23 years old in March 2007. Now she is on a mission to raise as much awareness about this lesser known cancer as she can. Pat says “25% of mouth cancer cases are not associated with any known risk factor, hence the need for vigilance. Mouth Cancer Action Month is a great opportunity to get a free screening especially if you notice a lump in your mouth that wasn’t there before or a mouth ulcer which lasts for more than 3 weeks. You must get it checked out immediately.”
Clare was a student at Loughborough University when she was first diagnosed in February 2003. She then faced an operation to remove the right side of her tongue, reconstruction with a flap from her right forearm and a neck dissection. By 2007, Clare had secondary bone cancer and bravely went through the treatments offered. It was a difficult time for her and she was very, very scared. She worried about the effects of chemo and fertility but finished her chemotherapy and was looking forward to a better 2007. Unfortunately, the MRI scans showed no change in the size of her cancer, which eventually spread to her brain. Clare’s family now live with a lifetime of heart break.
Dentist, Dr Karimi will be carrying out the free screenings at Perfect 32 and says “The Screening offers lots of benefits to practices. As well as saving lives it is a practice builder. It encourages footfall and trust. Mouth Cancer Action Month is about saving lives, educating the public about oral cancer and offering everyone the screening they are entitled to. I can think of no activity more important for dental professionals than the early detection of mouth cancer.”
Dr Vinod Joshi, Founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation says “Mouth Cancer Action Month has been a huge success in previous years. Lives have been saved as dentists picked up cases of mouth cancer which would otherwise have gone undiagnosed. Head and neck cancers are particularly vicious and debilitating when detected late. Patients who survive are a huge drain on medical resources for the rest of their lives, in terms of post operative and the psychological care required. With earlier detection, lives are saved and costs on the NHS will reduce dramatically.”
