These are various causes of oral cancer

Oral cancer can attack the tongue, lips, gums, inner cheeks, palate and throat. It is believed that the cause of oral cancer is related to heredity, smoking and viral infections.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), around 650 thousand cases of oral cancer are found each year, and more than half cause deaths from this disease

Most oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas which tend to spread rapidly. However, people with oral cancer often do not feel symptoms, so this condition is usually only detected when it has entered an advanced stage.

When entering the next stage, oral cancer can show symptoms such as thrush, red spots or vaginal discharge that does not improve in more than 2 weeks, growth of a lump in the mouth, numbness or pain in the mouth and difficulty. swallow or talk

Causes and risk factors for oral cancer

Oral cancer is formed when oral cells, specifically the tongue, gums and lips, undergo genetic mutations. This change causes cells to continue to grow and multiply to form cancer.

It is not known what causes cell mutations in the mouth, but several factors can increase the risk of developing oral cancer. One of them is if there is a biological family that has cancer.

In addition to a family history of cancer, this disease is also more likely to occur in people with the following risk factors:

1. Smoking

Tobacco is a major risk factor for oral cancer. Smoking, cigars, pipes or chewing tobacco can increase the risk of oral cancer by 50 to 85%. In addition to people who smoke actively, the risk of developing oral cancer can also be experienced by passive smokers.

2. Frequent consumption of alcoholic drinks

People who drink alcohol are often six times more likely to develop mouth and throat cancer than people who live a healthy lifestyle. The risk will be much higher if linked to smoking.

This is suspected because both of these bad habits can damage mouth cells, causing changes in genetic characteristics that make it malignant.

3. often exposed to sunlight

Exposure to sunlight or excessive ultraviolet radiation (UV) is considered a cause of oral cancer in the lip area. This is more risky for people who do a lot of activities in the sun.
4. Infected with human papillomavirus (HPV)

Some types of HPV, especially type 16 viruses, can cause abnormal tissue growth in the mouth. This can increase the risk of oral cancer. You can become infected with HPV during sexual activity, including oral sex, with people with HPV.

In addition to oral cancer, the HPV virus can also cause several other diseases, such as genital warts and cervical cancer.

5. Poor oral hygiene

Poor oral health can play a role in oral cancer. This is thought to be related to chronic mouth injury and inflammation due to poor oral hygiene, so that cells in the oral cavity are damaged.

This is corroborated by studies that show that people who rarely brush their teeth do not routinely check their oral health, don't use dentures, have broken or broken teeth that are not treated and are often exposed to teeth. Inflammation of the gums is more likely to develop oral cancer.

6. Do a bad diet

Research has shown that unhealthy eating habits, such as rarely eating fruits and vegetables, increase the risk of oral cancer. This risk can be reduced by adopting a balanced and healthy diet.

7. suffer from certain diseases

Certain conditions, such as leukoplakia, erythroplakia (appearance of red spots in the oral cavity) and salivary gland tumors, increase the risk of oral cancer. In addition, HIV infection and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can also cause the transformation of oral cells into malignant cells.

To avoid the development of oral cancer, avoid certain risk factors, stop smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, avoid risky sexual behavior, get vaccinated against HPV and regularly check oral health status at the dentist.

Also, don't forget to do regular oral exams at home. The trick, look at the oral cavity with a mirror and see if there are lumps, boils or sores and wounds that have long healed on the tongue, lips, palate and oral cavity.
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