In a typical year, more than 35,000 cases of new oral cancers are diagnosed. Historically, men have outnumbered women 6 to 1 in oral cancer diagnosis. Recently, this number has changed to two men for every one woman diagnosed with oral cancer. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, oral cancer has previously been linked to cigarette smoking and alcohol use, but more and more cases are being diagnosed in women who neither smoke nor drink heavily. While cigarett smoking and alcohol use are still major factors as causes of oral cancer, often oral HPV-16 -- one of the types of HPV linked to cervical cancer -- is the cause of oral cancer. Like other types of HPV, oral HPV is linked to sexual activity, specifically oral sex.

Found early, oral cancer survival rates are about 80 to 90%. Unfortunately, many cases of oral cancer are not found until the late stages when the survival rate drops to about 45%. This late stage diagnosis of oral cancer could be significantly decreased if everyone stuck to the recommended every 6 months dental check ups. Dentists routinely check for the signs of oral cancer that can appear inside the oral cavity, including the tonsils and throat.

Going to the dentist has never been one of my favorite things to do -- maybe if I'd been aware of the possibility of oral cancer, I'd have stuck to the every 6 months schedule my parents insisted on while growing up. Knowing about the risk of oral cancer may have encouraged me to see the dentist more frequently.

Puberty and Menstruation Affect Dental Health

Top 10 Facts Your Dentist Wants You To Know

Oral Cancer Rise Linked To Oral HPV originally appeared on About.com Women's Health on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 23:18:03.

Permalink | Comment | Email this