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‘Watch your mouth’, Pta West Hospital advises
The Pretoria West District Hospital on September 18 hosted its annual Oral Health Awareness campaign in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
The event offered free screenings for oral cancer in the Gauteng Department of Health’s (GDoH) mobile dental truck. The hospital also partnered with the Tshwane Health District Services (THDS).
Among the speakers on the day was the maxillofacial and oral surgeon specialist as well as the HOD at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) Department of Maxillo-Facial and Oral Surgery, Professor Mzubani Mabongo who would deliver the keynote address.
Dr Lineo Motebang, Head of Oral Health Services at the hospital, said oral cancer has become more prevalent in recent times, inspiring her to create this awareness campaign in honour of September being oral health awareness month.
“As everyone knows, prevention is better than cure. We as dentists advocate for a healthy lifestyle which can lower the risk of getting cancer by avoiding cancer-causing substances. Furthermore, we encourage patients not to neglect their oral health. We are aware that our mouths are the gateway to our bodies and by taking care of our mouths we avoid systemic complications,” said Motebang.
Motebang encouraged residents to go for oral check-ups regularly as dentists and oral surgeons are the first to recognise oral cancer. If detected early, oral cancer is curable.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), oral cancer is among the fastest-growing types of cancer currently and it’s more commonly found in men than women.
In South Africa, oral cancer is the fifth most common cancer among males and the 10th most common among females.
“A lot of people are not even aware that oral cancer exists and they are not aware of the treatments that are available or where to get help. So what we normally do as dentists when a person comes in for a check-up, we don’t just look at the teeth, we also look at the entire oral cavity. That’s where we discover that most smokers are the ones who are more prone to get oral cancer,” she said.
“Myself, a good 80% of my patients are smokers and I’m worried, why do we have so many smokers in Pretoria West?” said Motebang.
Smoking includes pipes, cigars, vapes, chewing tobacco and smoking hubbly. Excessive alcohol consumption is also a cause of oral cancer.
Contracting the Human papillomavirus (HPV) also puts you at a higher risk of developing oral cancer as well as age. Oral cancer is more prevalent among older patients according to the doctor.
Cancer of the lip is more common in those who are outdoors a lot and have excessive exposure to the sun such as farmworkers, construction workers and car guards.
Poor nutrition and a lack of fruit and vegetables put you at a higher risk as well as having a weak immune system (HIV patients, organ transplant patients).
Genetics also plays a role as there are patients that can inherit genes from their parents with a history of cancer as well as poor oral hygiene.
Motebang urged residents to practice good oral hygiene and go for regular oral check-ups, once every six months.
“We want to educate the public about the importance of good oral hygiene practices like brushing your teeth twice every day, flossing regularly and maintaining a balanced diet,” Motebang said.
Prof Mabongo said that while oral cancer is more common among older patients, recent trends indicate that oral cancer patients from 45 and lower are steadily growing.
“It’s more common in males than females. In most countries it’s almost double, the ratio can be 2:1 but if you travel to countries like Taiwan or read studies from there, it can even be 10:1 meaning it’s very common among males. The current trend is that it’s increasing among women, especially in the age range of 45 and younger. Habits like HPV and smoking play a role in that, it’s not that uncommon to find a woman smoking in these times so they are catching up to the men. So it’s something that we all need to look out for,” Mabongo said.
The professor said that detection technology is not available at every facility, hence why they stress the need for early detection. When symptoms are
