In the U.S., a person dies of oral cancer every hour. When detected in the late stages, the 5-year survival rate is 22%, compared to 80% when detected early.
The main risk factors are chronic smoking and heavy alcohol consumption, with a male to female ratio of 6:1 Just recently, a new risk factor was thrown into the mix – the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). It is now believed that 25-30% of oral cancer is related to HPV, moving the male to female ratio to 2:1. What does this mean? – it means that everyone, young and old, male or female, is at risk – and everyone should see their dentist for an oral cancer screening at least once each year.
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