Safety and Health Talks- Oral Health
Many mine employees smoke or chew tobacco and drink alcohol and these behaviors increase their risk of getting a mouth, head, or neck cancer. About 45,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral, head and neck cancers this year; 13,000 will die from causes related to this disease. The earlier an oral, head or neck cancer can be found, the greater your chance or surviving and reducing the chance of disfiguring surgeries that can hurt your quality of life. Sixty percent of head and neck cancer patients do not see a doctor or dentist until they are in advanced stages of the disease, where survival rates are low. If caught early (medical screening helps a lot), the patient’s chance of survival gets better. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has put together some information on this important subject.
Risk Factors
Anything that increases a person’s chance of developing a disease is called a risk factor. Though the precise cause of oral and head/neck cancer is unknown, the following may increase the likelihood of developing this kind of cancer:
• Age – 50+ years old
• Gender — Men are more likely to suffer from this type of cancer than women.
• Ethnicity — The incidence is higher for Asian, particularly Chinese, ancestry for cancer of the nasopharynx (nose-throat).
• Sun Exposure — Lip cancer risk increases.
• Tobacco and Alcohol Use – Over 80 percent of patients are smokers or chew tobacco and consume large amounts of alcohol. People who use both tobacco and alcohol are at greater risk for developing these cancers than people who use either tobacco or alcohol alone.
• Environmental Exposure — Breathing particles of asbestos or occupational exposure to wood dust; and consumption of certain preservatives or salted foods may lead to cancer of the nose and throat.
Take care of yourself and be on the lookout for signs of problems. Click the following link for a copy of this word document containg these important risk factors. Click here for a pdf copy of the above information.
