Pretoria - With one type of “forgotten cancer” having doubled in recent years, the Botshilu Private Hospital in Soshanguve is offering residents north of the city an opportunity for free oral cancer screenings.
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) 2020 data on oral cancer, deaths in South Africa reached an estimated 1 406, or 0.31% of total deaths.
Currently, oral cancer in South Africa was reportedly ranked as the fifth most common cancer and the 10th most common cancer in females, with roughly 7.3% of oral cancer occurring in males.
In fact, things had become so bad that the prevalence of oral cancer had all but doubled and was coming close to rivalling lung cancer, according to maxillofacial and oral surgeon Dr Chidinyane Lebaka from Botshilu Hospital.
Lebaka said one of the reasons why oral cancer had increased in many communities was the growing number of people smoking cigarettes and partaking in illicit drug use.
He said the deadly combination of smoking and alcohol consumption increased the likelihood of oral cancer by 75%, as did poor oral hygiene.
“While we have made significant strides in banning smoking advertisements on our TV screens, nothing much has been done to educate and inform our people regarding the dangers of smoking and its impact on our oral health.
“When people think of cancer-related to smoking they first think of the lungs, but even before the smoke and effects thereof reach the lungs, they first have to go through the mouth,” he added.
Lebaka said another issue that resulted in increased numbers of people suffering from oral cancer was that people were not visiting the dentist regularly.
“People only think of coming to the dentist when their teeth start hurting or when their gums are bleeding, when in fact they should be visiting the dentist’s office every six months, and every three months for smokers.
“Regular dentist visits are crucial as the earlier the detection of cancer, the better the survival rate of patients. If we can detect oral cancer while it is in stage one, the chances of survival are as much as 80%.”
The specialist said they had chosen to host the series in September as the month was also National Oral Health Awareness month.
The first event was held at Wonderpark Mall this past weekend and another is to be held at Jubilee Mall in Hammanskraal this coming weekend for free.
Pretoria News