Brighton dental team staff to raise money for mouth cancer by taking on the BM10k run.
“A visit to the dentist is about more than looking after our teeth and gums, it could also save our life”.
This is the message from the team at Brighton’s Dental Health Spa on Queens Road as they get set to compete in the BM10k and raise awareness for a cause very close to their hearts – the growing cases of mouth cancer.
The team, from the practice at 14-15 Queens Rd, Brighton BN1 3WA, will be taking to the streets of Brighton on Sunday, April 9 for the BM10k to improve education, as well as encourage donations, for the Oral Health Foundation’s Mouth Cancer Action campaign.
With cases of mouth cancer in the United Kingdom increasing by a third in the last decade alone, runners from Dental Health Spa, who will be dressed as giant red mouths, are looking to use the annual ten-kilometer race as an opportunity to address the current mouth cancer epidemic by urging residents to be aware of any changes in their mouth.
Christina Chatfield, Clinical Director of Dental Health Spa, explains why the team are taking on this grueling challenge: “When we think about our dental check-up, we naturally believe that it is just our teeth and gums that are given a thorough examination. While this is true, not many patients realise that we also check for far more other conditions and diseases that relate to the mouth.
During a check-up, dental professionals will also carry out a visual examination of mouth cancer.”
More than 7,000 Brits were diagnosed with cancer over the last year with more people now losing their life to the disease than testicular and cervical cancer combined.
Christina continues: “We have seen first-hand the devastating impact mouth cancer can have on a person’s life. Fortunately, those who visited us were vigilant and quick to recognise that something unusual was occurring and came to us for further examination.”
Like any cancer, our chances beating the disease depends on the speed at which it is caught. Unfortunately, mouth cancer remains relatively unknown and awareness of the disease remains frightfully low. That is exactly why Dental Health Spa are taking on the BM10k.
We will be running the BM10k to raise awareness, education and money for Mouth Cancer Action. Three years ago, we developed a special initiative called Moveit4smiles, which helped support this charity cause and since then we have raised over £25,000 for mouth cancer.
By increasingly knowledge about the disease; what it is, what causes it, what to look out for, and where to go for help, we can ultimately help save lives through prevention and early detection.”
The Oral Health Foundation say if caught early enough, the chances of surviving mouth cancer are 90%.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the charity, highlights what everyone should be looking out for: “Early signs and symptoms of mouth cancer include mouth ulcers that have not healed within three weeks, red or white patches in the mouth, or unusual lumps or swellings in the mouth, head or neck area. It’s so important for us all to be mouthaware and alert to any unusual changes in the mouth.
If you recognise any of the symptoms, please checked out by your dentist or doctor.”
If you would like to support Dental Health Spa and raise money for Mouth Cancer Action, click here:
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