More than 30,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year in the U.S., and an astounding 8,000 people die for this disease. Men are twice as likely to develop this disease as women, but no one is immune. And since the death rate from oral cancer is particularly high because of its frequent late discover, it’s important for denture wearers and everyone else to be on the lookout for the risk factors that make you more likely than the average person to develop this condition.
These include:
Tobacco usage. As many as 90 percent of people who get oral cancer use tobacco in one form or another. The longer you have used cigarettes, cigars, pipes or smokeless tobacco, the greater your risk.
Excess alcohol consumption. As many as 80 percent of oral cancer patients drink alcohol to excess. When you combine drinking with smoking, you are at a significantly increased risk of oral cancer.
Exposure to sunlight. Ultraviolet light exposure can greatly raise your risk of developing cancer of the lip in particular.
Age. Most people who get oral cancer are over 40, and the risk increases with age. More than 50 percent of oral cancer patients are over age 65.
Irritation. Especially important for denture wearers is limiting irritation that can lead to cancer development. Badly fitting dentures have been shown to be a risk factor for oral cancer, although the link is not firmly established.
To eliminate or reduce irritation as a risk factor, some choose to stabilize and improve the fit of their dentures with dental implants. Could today’s thin, narrow implant-supported dentures be the right choice for you?
Most people who make the decision to improve the quality of their lives by choosing implants to support their dentures never regret the decision.
For more about the myths and facts about dentures, visit http://besttoothpaste.net/fluoride-free/myths-fact-dentures/
What Risk Factors Of Oral Cancer Should Denture Wearers Watch Out For?,