It came as a shock to many of us when Aussie singing icon, John Farnham, was diagnosed in 2022 with an oral cancer requiring extensive surgery.  Unfortunately, with or without a history of smoking, oral cancers are indeed something we need to be aware of and take steps to monitor for.

Oral cancers carry a bleak 5 year survival rate of 50%, with many becoming advanced as they go undetected until symptoms appear. For this reason, early detection and treatment is critical. As part of your routine dental check up every six months, your dentist will check the soft tissues of your mouth, including the lips, gums, inside of the cheeks, floor of the mouth, salivary glands, hard and soft palates and tongue for any suspect lesions or changes.  If a lesion is detected, a referral to a specialist oral pathologist may be indicated to investigate further. 

One of the multiple reasons to visit your dentist regularly is to have the soft tissues of your mouth examined.  A visit to your dentist is the first line of defence when it comes to cancers of the oral cavity.  So, this World Cancer Day, ask yourself – when was the last time I had a routine dental check up?  If the answer is “more than 6 months”, or “I can’t remember”, then it is certainly time to book in, not only for the health of your teeth and gums, but for your general health and wellbeing.

To learn more about the risk factors and warning signs of oral cancer, please follow this link to the Australian Dental Association’s teeth.org.au