LAUNCHING CANCER ACTION MONTH 2019 Leave a comment
Just got back in time to catch the publishing time for the November magazine. I have just been to the Houses of Parliament at the behest of Sir Paul Beresford who together with the BDHF and Mouth Cancer organised a Kick Off evening to get the November Mouth Cancer awareness month rolling for 2019.
It is always interesting to see the inside of where it all is decided!! A wonderfully Historic building with so many connections to the beating heart of Great Britain. Sir Paul spoke of his father and grandfather, who were both dentists working in New Zealand (South Island). He spoke of his memory of the beginning of machine assisted diagnosis with his grandfather’s X Ray machine, which he remembers as being enormous and needed to be wound to take the X ray of the tooth. With the accompanying winding and ticking noise prior to the shot being taken. He commented on how much we have moved on and how it is so much more possible to use the digital formulae and equipment to make the patients’ experience so much less invasive and comfortable. However, with all this innovation we are seeing an increase in cases of Oral Cancer. Improving patient awareness is of course the main target of the groups’ activities but you must also be aware to check yourself and those close to you for early signs. Talk about it with your friends and colleagues and underline the increase in the younger groups. A disease which traditionally affected men over 60 is now seen to be spreading to the younger men and women with links to the smoking and drinking lifestyle we all assume is normal and harmless. Be sure you attend regularly for a mouth check-up and be sure your dentist checks the soft tissue every time you attend for treatment or a check-up. Catching the disease early gives a 94% plus cure rate. Late detection can be horrendous even if you stop the disease.
The long entrance gallery to the venue. Sir Paul Beresford spoke about the advances in recent years and Dr. Nigel Carter spoke of the 80 years of the fight against Oral Cancer by his organisation. A patient who has survived tongue cancer spoke of her experiences. And her determination to continue to live her life as before.
We were joined by Dr Nigel Carter who has spent many years guiding and managing the Dental Health Foundation. A truly dedicated professional with an ambition of wiping out this terrible and far too familiar disease. As Technicians you can help by getting involved, raising awareness, and perhaps getting involved with your clinicians and support staff in attending the many events and occasions for the dental team. Make sure your staff know about the risks and signs and of course you who may do dental repairs direct be aware you may be a source for indicating a problem.
Many years ago, I worked with and for a technician who did, very successful dentures, illegally of course. But he had referred so many patients to Eastman hospital with signs, and in many cases oral cancer he was on their referral list as one of their most prolific referrers. DCP’s and those of you doing directly with the patient, please be up to date with the present knowledge, and insure you at least check for any signs.
WHAT SIGNS?
A spot in the mouth on the soft tissues which won’t go away. Sometimes referred to by the patient as an ulcer. Sometimes a red spot or a very small lump that occasionally gets sore. Don’t ignore it, catch it early and hopefully cure it. Sometimes we may be the front line against this terrible disease. Don’t ignore the possibility.
