Can you get cancer in your mouth?
It is!
When it comes to mouth diseases, people often think of tooth decay and oral ulcer first, and few people will link oral cavity with cancer. In fact, oral cancer is not uncommon in our country, and its incidence rate accounts for 1.75% ~ 5.18% of the whole body malignant tumors. According to the statistics of the National Cancer Center, 48,100 new oral cancer cases are added every year, and 22,000 cases related to oral cancer deaths [1].
Among male patients, the incidence rate of oral cancer has already accounted for the eighth place in the incidence rate of malignant tumors in the whole body. We must not take the vigilance against oral cancer lightly.
Where does the cancer grow in your mouth?
Cancer may grow in the tongue, gums, palate, cheeks (cheeks), maxillary sinuses deep in cheekbones and other parts. Patients may suffer from numbness, pain and other symptoms. In serious cases, they may not be able to speak clearly, eat and swallow, etc.
According to statistics, oral cancer is especially popular with the middle-aged and elderly people. Clinically, 80% of oral cancer cases occur in people over 50 years old.
There are many factors causing oral cancer. For the middle-aged and elderly people, the most common causes are smoking, drinking alcohol, chewing betel nuts, inappropriate teeth in the mouth, such as tooth decay, residual roots, improperly made or damaged dentures, etc., which will poke at a certain place in the mouth all the time, causing a continuous stimulation.
Smoking and Drinking: Monkey Poking at Honeycomb-Asking for Bitter Eat
Nicotine in tobacco has carcinogenic effect, and smokers are not only prone to oral cancer; Moreover, even if oral cancer is cured, if smoking continues, the possibility of developing the second cancer will be greatly increased.
Although wine itself has not been proved to have the effect of causing oral cancer, it has the effect of promoting cancer, because alcohol can be used as a solvent for carcinogens, promoting the mucosa of the mouth to absorb more carcinogens, thus causing canceration.
Statistics show that compared with non-smokers and non-alcoholics, the risk of oral cancer for those who only smoke and do not drink will increase by 3.5 times, that for those who only drink and do not smoke will increase by 3.6 times, and that for those who smoke and drink will increase by 12.6 times [2]!
Betel nut, beauty beauty is also a disaster
Areca catechu has been confirmed as a Class 1 carcinogen of oral cancer and is one of the definite causes of oral cancer.
The incidence rate of oral cancer in Taiwan is very high, with 20-30 out of every 100 cancer patients being oral cancer. In Hunan, 6 out of every 100 tumor patients are oral cancer.
People in these places like to chew betel nut very much, and some components in betel nut, such as betel nut alkaloid, betel nut tannin and betel nut specific nitrosamine, have cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and even direct carcinogenicity.
In addition, betel nut is hard and chewing is easy to hurt oral mucosa, which also greatly increases the incidence rate of oral cancer.
Therefore, it is best to quit this problem as soon as possible.
The delicate oral mucosa is afraid of [destruction]
Oral mucosa, that is, the [skin] inside the mouth, is much thinner and very delicate than the skin on the body. Usually not paying attention to oral hygiene, chronic inflammatory stimulation and mechanical damage, etc., may lead to canceration of oral mucosa.
People with bad teeth, bad teeth, Don’t think you can wait until it is very serious to repair it, There is also time. After tooth damage, there will often be some very sharp horns. These horns will often poke at the adjacent oral mucosa, which may make your mouth have an ulcer for a long time and eventually become cancer. Just like your skin, which has been sharpened by a sharp knife, if you don’t pay attention to it and deal with it, it may become cancerous!
Poor quality dentures do more harm than good.
Poor dentures, as dentists call them [bad prostheses], not only fail to exert their masticatory function normally, but also often lead to halitosis, gingival bleeding and even oral cancer.
One of my patients had an inappropriate denture inlaid a few years ago. In order to save trouble and not to spend more money, he never changed it. The long-term [disharmony] between the denture and the mouth led to oral ulcer and even further canceration.
At first, he thought he was angry and didn’t take it to heart. Only when he had serious difficulty in eating and his speech was slurred did he feel something was wrong. At this time, he had reached the advanced stage of oral cancer.
Therefore, wearing dentures must be appropriate, especially for the middle-aged and the elderly. Don’t just try to save trouble or be too thrifty. You should go to a regular specialized hospital and a qualified dental clinic.
Prevention of oral cancer is the key.
1. Quit smoking and limit alcohol, and put an end to betel nut.
2. Eliminate chronic stimulation factors, repair tooth decay in time, remove incurable residual roots and crowns, and insert teeth on time to smooth sharp cusps to prevent damage to lingual edge tissues.
3. Wear good dentures. If local pain and inflammation are found during wearing, seek medical treatment in time.
4. Develop good oral hygiene habits, brush your teeth early and late, rinse your mouth after meals, strengthen physical exercise, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins, and eat less pickled foods.
5. Pay attention to precancerous lesions, such as a white or rough spot in the mouth. Regular oral clinical examination should achieve [early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment].