Six diagnosed with cancer after free mouth exams

FREE MOUTH examinations offered by Dublin and Cork dental hospitals last September found cancers in six people, organisers have said.

The exams were part of an awareness day organised by mouth, head and neck cancer survivors along with Dublin Dental School and Hospital, Cork University Dental School and Hospital and the Irish Cancer Society.

Of the 1,800 people who attended the Dublin open days, 29 suspicious lesions requiring biopsy were found as well as three early cancers and two established cancers.

Of the 1,393 people who attended the Cork events, 49 pre-malignant lesions and one cancer were found.

A further person, unable to remain in the queue on the day of the Dublin event, later attended his GP and was referred back to the Dublin Dental Hospital where a cancer was discovered.

The former barman, now in his 40s, became addicted to the secondary smoke in his work environment and took up cigarettes after the 2004 smoking ban was introduced. He is now undergoing radiation treatment for the cancer.

Mouth, head and neck cancer is the sixth most common form of the disease worldwide. Three Irish people die from these cancers every week, a greater number than those who are killed by skin melanoma or cervical cancer.

The term “mouth cancer” can refer to cancers affecting the lips, gums, cheeks, tongue, palate, tonsil, throat, salivary glands, nose and the larynx.

Symptoms include white or red patches inside the mouth, a lump in the mouth or neck, thickening or hardening of the cheek or tongue, a persistent sore throat and hoarseness, persistent nose bleeds and a stuffy nose, and unexplained loose teeth.

Early diagnosis and treatment can result in five-year survival rates of more than 80 per cent, versus rates of 10-35 per cent for advanced cancer.

Supporting the awareness campaign were novelists Peter Sheridan and Lia Mills, who survived the condition, and Phelim and Cliodhna Drew, children of the late Ronnie Drew, who had throat and lung cancer.

Dr Denise MacCarthy, a consultant in restorative surgery at the Dublin Dental Hospital, said: “We were overwhelmed with the public’s response to the open days. While the exam was not a definitive test for head, neck and mouth cancer, it was a visual exam of superficial tissues and superficial instances are the most common presentation in the mouth.”

Dr Eleanor O’Sullivan of Cork University Dental Hospital and School said: “There’s a strong link between many mouth, head and neck cancers and smoking and alcohol intake. The open days gave us the opportunity to inform people of the signs and symptoms, and encourage them to attend their dentist or GP for a check-up.”

Both dental hospitals say they will be continuing to raise awareness of mouth, head and neck cancer this year.