Keep good oral health to reduce mouth cancer risk
Research has found that some NHS dental surgeries do not routinely provide appointments within a week for patients suffering from symptoms of mouth cancer.*
Mouth cancer kills about 1,700 people in the UK every year, with smokers and drinkers aged over 40 being most at risk. The most common symptoms of the disease include painless ulcers that do not heal, red and white patches and unusual changes in the mouth.*
A study undertaken by the Facial Surgery Research Foundation, ‘Saving Faces’, found that almost a third of dental receptionists at 250 NHS dental practices, did not offer a prompt consultation when common oral cancer symptoms were described.
The Department of Health has responded by stating that urgent appointments should have been given in such cases.
Early diagnosis and treatment can increase a patient's chances of survival from just below 50 per cent to around 90 per cent. Dentists are trained to spot early signs of mouth cancer and early detection increases survival chances from around one in two to nine out of 10 — so it is vital that people maintain regular visits.**
This latest finding follows reports from the British Dental Association, which state that NHS dentists and their patients still face significant problems, with more than one million fewer patients in England being able to access NHS dentistry since the introduction of a new contract for dentists and patient charges in April 2006.***
Jill Davies, Westfield Health Chief Executive, said that as a UK leading health cash plan provider, Westfield’s aim is to support the NHS – particularly in the areas where the service is facing increasing pressure.
All Westfield Health’s cash plans cover dental costs up to set limits, therefore helping to provide more choice for people seeking immediate dental treatment and easing concerns about paying their dentist bills.
Read more about the Advantage Plan:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/pdfs/advantage/AdvantageBenefitTable.pdf
Read more about the Advantage Plan:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/pdfs/advantage/AdvantageBenefitTable.pdf
Read more about the Good4you Plan:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/pdfs/good4you/G4YBenefitTable.pdf
Read more about this story:
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7623107.stm
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