Mouth cancer is on the rise in the UK with over 2,700 people dying from the disease last year. This is an increase of almost 50% compared to 10 years ago which is a huge increase. One of the main issues is that over 45% of all mouth cancers are diagnosed in the late stages which means that the survival rate is much lower than early diagnosis. Not only this, but treatment is often far less invasive when caught early on leading to a far higher quality of life. During each dental examination at Progressive Dentistry, we undertake a thorough analysis of mouth cancer but with check ups usually every 6 months, we are encouraging our patients to check their mouth once a month for signs of the dreadful disease.
 

There are a number of areas to check for mouth cancer. The Mouth Cancer Foundation has provided a superb self check kit which we have provided below. This will take 2 minutes and could be crucial in spotting early signs of mouth cancer. If in doubt, please book an appointment with your dentist.

FACE
 

Look at the whole face. Are there any swellings you haven’t noticed before? Inspect your skin. Has anything changed recently? Have moles become larger or started to itch or bleed? Turn your head from side to side. This stretches the skin over the muscles making lumps easier to see.

NECK
 

Run the fingers under your jaw and feel along the large muscle either side of neck using the balls of your fingers. Are there any swellings? Does everything feel the same on both sides?

LIPS
 

Using your index, middle fingers and thumb to feel the inside of your mouth. Pull your upper lip upwards and bottom lip downwards to look inside for any sores or changes in colour. Use your thumb and forefinger to feel around and inside your lips checking for any lumps, bumps or changes in texture.

GUMS
 

Use your thumb and forefinger on the inside and outside of the gum working your way around the gum to feel for anything unusual.

CHECK YOUR CHEEKS
 

Open your mouth and pull your cheeks away, one side at a time, with your finger to look inside. Look for any red or white patches. Use your finger in the cheek to check for ulcers, lumps or tenderness. Repeat on the other side. Your tongue can be helpful to locate sore areas, ulcers or rough patches.

TONGUE
 

Gently pull out your tongue and look at one side first and then the other. Look for any swelling, ulcer or change in colour. Examine the underside of your tongue by lifting the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.

FLOOR OF MOUTH
 

Lift your tongue up and look underneath then look at the floor of your mouth for any colour changes that are unusual. Gently press your finger along the floor of your mouth and underside your tongue to feel for any lumps, swellings or ulcers.

ROOF OF MOUTH
 

Tilt back your head and open your mouth wide to check the roof of your mouth. Look to see if there are changes in colour or ulcers. Check for changes in texture with your finger.

Make a note of anything unusual. If you have recently had a cold, sore throat, ulcer or swollen glands, bitten or scolded yourself for example, these should heal within 3 weeks. If you have any concerns visit your dentist or doctor to see if you need specialist advice.

Mouth cancer causes more deaths per number of cases than breast cancer and cervical cancer however awareness of it is relatively low. New cases have increased by 49% in the last decade and 135% compared to twenty years ago. Last year, 2722 people in the UK died from mouth cancer. The key risk factors are: 


- Tobacco use including chewing betel nut 

- Excess alcohol (those who smoke and drink heavily are up to 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer)

- Poor diet 

- HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) transmitted through oral sex.

Mouth cancer can develop in most parts of the mouth including the gums, lips, tongue, palate and even the throat. The most common symptoms are : 

- Persistent non healing ulcers Persistent lumps in the mouth or lymph glands 

- Pain when swallowing 

- Numbness or bleeding from the mouth 

- Changes in speech 

- Teeth that become loose for no obvious reason 

- Tooth extraction sockets not healing 

- Difficulty moving your jaw 

- Red or white patches or striations in the mouth 


Early detection is critical to a full recovery as well as life style changes. In general, if any of the symptoms have been present for more than two weeks, seek medical advice. At Progressive Dentistry, we routinely check for mouth cancer at every examination appointment with a thorough soft tissue analysis. This will involve a detailed history and a soft tissue check. During this part of the examination, we check the tongue, underneath the tongue, floor of the mouth, cheek surfaces, soft palate, hard palate and the entire gum line. 

If you have any concerns about mouth cancer or would like some general advice, please contact us.

We strongly believe in continual professional development or CPD for short. The developments in dentistry are moving at a rapid rate and it is vital to keep up to date with the these advancements. On Friday, Dr Nissit Patel and Paula Ryan will be attending a core CPD meeting in Kensington. This will address important issues such as oral cancer, dental radiology, medical emergencies, decontamination and cross infection. As a practice, we are committed to being at the forefront of dental care. We undertake hundreds of hours of CPD per year, above and beyond the minimum requirements.