At Dr. Eric Meyer’s Fullerton Dental practice, we’ve paid close attention to the latest research into oral cancers. The good news is that scientists have recently made progress identifying how cancers spread between different organs, which is relevant to a group of cancers which affect everything from the hard palate to the tonsils. The bad news is that, while overall cancer rates have declined, new diagnoses of oral cancer have skyrocketed in the United States and United Kingdom. Researchers believe this is due to the human papillomavirus (HPV).
In the past, most oral cancers were caused by nicotine use, so anti-cancer efforts focused on smoking. While these efforts successfully caused tobacco use to decline, they may have unintentionally created a false sense of security among young people which led them to forego oral cancer screenings. In fact, risky sexual practices have led to widespread oral HPV, particularly among young men, and while most strains of the virus have no known effect, there are at least nine which cause some kind of cancer.
HPV-related oral and oropharyngeal cancers usually develop further back in the throat than nicotine-related related cancers and are less likely to be noticed by patients before becoming extremely dangerous. Therefore, it is of crucial importance for sexually-active people of all ages to get oral cancer screenings regardless of their smoking or drinking habits.
Eric M. Meyer, DDS, operates at 2720 North Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, California, 92835. To schedule an appointment, call 714-879-7943 or visit FullertonDental.com and fill out a contact sheet.
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