Oral cancer accounts for only a small percentage of cancer in the United States, but it has one of the higher death rates of any cancer. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of your own risk factor, and work with our Bellingham dentist to make sure that you catch any signs of this deadly disease in its early stages.
Any of the following can raise your chances of developing oral cancer:
- Men statistically have a higher chance of oral cancer than women, with men over fifty representing the biggest risk.
- Any sort of tobacco use will dramatically increase your risk factor, including smoking, chewing, or snuff.
- Smoking marijuana also increases your risk by a large degree.
- Excessive drinking of alcohol is linked to oral cancer. If you are both a drinker and a smoker, your risk is exponentially higher.
- Poor diet, particularly a diet deficient in vitamin A, can increase your risk.
- Any exposure to the HPV virus can cause oral cancer.
- Unprotected exposure to the sun increases your odds of developing oral cancer around your lips.
- If you have oral cancer in your family history, you may have a genetic disposition to the disease.