Reduce Your Risk Factors for Oral Cancer
- Posted on: Apr 15 2024
At our office, we prioritize every aspect of our patients’ oral health. This includes helping them learn about diseases like oral cancer, which accounts for around 3% of all cancers today. But there’s also good news: You can take control of oral cancer by learning your risk factors and taking preventive steps today. In honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we are focusing on risk factors you can mitigate to lower your risk.
Controllable Oral Cancer Risk Factors
Reducing your risk of oral cancer can be as simple as making proactive changes. The number one controllable risk factor for oral cancer is tobacco use. It’s also a leading risk factor for other types of head and neck cancer. Quitting smoking or other types of tobacco use will help you lower your risk dramatically.
Other controllable risk factors are:
- Excessive alcohol use
- Excessive sun exposure
- Carrying extra weight
- Poor dietary choices
- Sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV)
By being mindful of your lifestyle choices and scheduling regular screenings with your dentist, you can lower your risk of oral cancer. Screenings twice a year also help ensure that the disease is caught early in the event it occurs.
Risk Factors You Can’t Control
There are a few risk factors you can’t control, including your genetics (certain gene defects), family history, and being over 40 years old. However, when you consider how much control you do have, it is possible to lower your risk drastically. Along with controlling your risk factors, regular oral cancer screenings are another way to stack the odds in your favor.
The Importance of Oral Cancer Screenings
The Oral Cancer Foundation recommends screening for oral cancers annually, starting from age 18. As oral health experts, we’re trained to recognize the earliest signs of oral cancer. This allows you to get treatment sooner rather than later if you develop cancer.
We serve Simi Valley, Chatsworth, Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Northridge, and the surrounding communities, providing top-tier dental care to ensure you have great oral health and a bright smile.
If you’re due for an oral cancer screening or checkup, we’re here to help. Reach out to schedule an appointment with Dr. Robert D. Bankhardt or Dr. Casey Patternson by calling our office at 805-584-1194 or submitting an online form.
Posted in: Dental Health, Oral Cancer
