Oral cancer is indeed a dreadful condition to be diagnosed with. However, the disease is quite treatable if diagnosed early. Moreover, you can take steps to prevent oral cancer. After all, prevention is better than cure. Therefore, it would indeed help you out if you knew about the risk factors of oral cancer. In this article, we will discuss the majority of oral cancer risk factors.
Very High-Risk Factors:
We will begin by discussing the risk factors that are most likely to push off the edge.
Smoking Or Tobacco Use: This is one of the leading causes of oral cancer. The majority of individuals diagnosed with oral cancer have a history of smoking or tobacco use. The relation here is simple, the more you smoke or chew tobacco, the higher is the risk of developing oral cancer.
Furthermore, if an individual doesn’t give up their unhealthy lifestyle during the cancer treatment, the treatment progress will be a lot slower. For example, due to smoking and tobacco use, wounds heal slower. However, that’s not all, as they might suffer from more severe side effects from radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Secondhand smoke is also dangerous. This is becuase research has shown that inhaling secondhand smoke or passive smoking also puts you at risk of developing oral cancer.
Alcohol Use: Alcohol also puts you at risk of mouth cancer. Similarly, heavy drinkers suffer a more grim fate compared to light drinkers.
Consuming Tobacco And Alcohol Both: You know what’s worse than using tobacco or drinking alcohol? Consuming both of them. Doing both increases oral cancer risk by about 20% compared to those who consume only one.
Other Risk Factors:
Long Exposure To UV Light: We all love going out in the sun, but it’s better to use sunblock when you are out in the open. This is because long-term exposure to UV rays can increase the chance of developing lip cancer.
HPV: Human papillomavirus is another cause of oral cancer, especially affecting the young. This virus is contracted due to sexual activity. Therefore, it’s better to limit one’s partner to rule out oral cancer caused by HPV.
Poor Diet: You cannot separate diet from your health. Being healthy is closely related to enjoying a healthy and balanced diet. Similar is the case with oral cancer; a poor diet can weaken your immune system leaving you vulnerable. A diet filled with fruits and vegetables provides the necessary nutrition to stave off oral cancer.
Some General Factors:
Gender: Men are more affected by oral cancer than women, which may be because men smoke and drink more often.
Age: Older individuals are more at risk of developing oral cancer. The average age of individuals diagnosed with oral cancer is about 50 years.
Weight: Obesity is linked to poor diet and a higher chance of developing oral cancer.
Oral Health: Maintaining good oral hygiene reduces the chances of oral cancer, especially for smokers and drinkers. Moreover, regular dental visits will help with early diagnosis and a better prognosis. Hence, choose for your dental visit. Call us Brenham Family Dental at 979-421-9685 to learn more about how we can help.