Silent Killer: Oral Cancer Awareness

The shadow of oral cancer looms larger than most realize. Despite its prevalence worldwide, this potentially devastating disease often escapes public awareness until it's reached advanced stages. During Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we're shedding light on three critical facts everyone should know about this silent threat.

Early detection truly saves lives when it comes to oral cancer. Most cases are discovered late, after the disease has begun aggressively destroying oral tissues and spreading to surrounding structures. The most common location? Under your tongue. Any unusual changes in this area demand immediate professional attention – this isn't something to postpone or ignore like a minor toothache. The difference between early and late detection can mean the difference between a simple procedure and extensive facial reconstruction affecting your ability to speak and eat.

Your lifestyle choices significantly impact your risk profile. Tobacco use in any form dramatically increases your chances of developing oral cancer, as does heavy alcohol consumption. Perhaps most surprising is the connection between human papillomavirus (HPV) and oral cancer, particularly among younger adults with no history of smoking. Warning signs that should never be ignored include unhealed mouth sores, persistent lumps, or hoarseness lasting more than two weeks. Many communities offer free screening events through hospitals and dental schools – the Brooklyn Hospital Center conducts weekend outreach providing these vital services.

Even without regular dental care, you can advocate for your own health through regular self-examinations. Remember that oral health transcends mere dental hygiene – it's fundamentally connected to your overall wellbeing and quality of life. When was your last oral cancer screening? If it's been more than a year, it's time to schedule one. Your vigilance today could save your life tomorrow.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Oral Cancer Awareness Month
• 1:36 Early Detection Saves Lives
• 3:16 Tobacco, Alcohol and HPV Risks
• 3:52 Warning Signs to Never Ignore
• 4:21 Self-Checks and Total Health Advocacy

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:37

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. It is time for an oral health break, since we know oral cancer is prevalent in the world, but it's not really a well-known disease. I wanted to go over three important facts about oral cancer. So the first one is early detection can save lives. Early detection can save lives with oral cancer. So most oral cancers are found late. Most of them are found when they are, you know, destroying your oral cavity, your tongue, your throat. They spread. You have to get big areas of your face resected because it's too aggressive, the earlier that you can find these signs of oral cancer. And the most common spot to find an oral cancerous lesion is under your tongue. So if you notice something strange under your tongue, go have it checked out immediately. Like, don't be one of those people like, when you get a cavity, you just let it go until it stops hurting and they need an extraction. This is something you can't play with because this is deadly, life-threatening. If you have something suspicious under your tongue or even anywhere in your mouth, have it checked out by a dentist, or go to the hospital if you don't have a dentist. But I encourage you to get these regular screenings as often as possible hospital if you don't have a dentist. But I encourage you to get these regular screenings as often as possible, especially if you are doing tobacco or alcohol. Many cities, especially in New York City, at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, we would do outreach on Saturdays and different times to do free oral cancer screening. So if you can find an area or a facility, a school, a hospital in your town or city that does these outreach events, make sure you go and have oral cancer screening so you can stay in the know.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Number two tobacco and alcohol increase your risk of oral cancer. So the more you drink, the more you smoke tobacco, you're going to have a higher risk of developing this horrendous disease. Another thing that causes oral cancer is human papillomavirus. So this is related to oral cancer, especially in young adults, even non-smoking adults. You want to really make sure you are aware of that fact. So if you have HPV, this can increase your risk of oral cancer.

Speaker 1: 3:08

Number three unhealed mouth sores, lumps and hoarseness lasting more than two weeks. You want to get it checked out. So if you have hoarseness going on, your throat is sore. If you have some lumps in your on, your throat is sore. If you have some lumps in your mouth that just haven't went away, because most of the time these lumps are self-eliminating, meaning that they go away on their own, like canker sores. Those sometimes go away on their own, unless they're more severe. Go get it checked out ASAP, save your life. Self-checks matter Even if you don't have a dentist. Check out your mouth, see what's going on in there and be your own health advocate. So, as a dentist with my tribe, it's more than just about showing up on here. Being consistent, I definitely want to implement the oral health factor. I want my tribe to know that oral health isn't just about teeth. It's about knowing how to take care of your teeth and it's about total health and early detection of any diseases, cavities and especially things like cancer, oral cancer.