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Screening For Alcohol Abuse At The Dentist's

Alcohol abuse causes dental disease and mouth cancer warn health experts. To tackle this at the earliest opportunity, screening and treatment for excessive drinking is vital.Patients do not attend their GP unless they are ill, but most people visit their dentist for a routine check-up, giving the dental team a unique opportunity to identify misuse.
                                       Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to cancer of the mouth, larynx and oesophagus and dentists maybe the first to notice these conditions. So we need to introduce an alcohol screening tool that reliably detects hazardous and harmful drinking alongside effective treatment.Promoting moderation in alcohol consumption in the primary dental setting could contribute to decreasing the economic, social and health burdens associated with alcohol abuse.


            "  Approximately 1 in 5 men in the UK and 1 in 7 women often drink excessive amounts of alcohol - costing the  economy around billions every year. "



Heavy drinking can cause:

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Irritation of the gum, tongue and oral tissues.
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Poor healing after dental surgery.
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Poor dental health habits.
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Increase in tooth decay.
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Poor compliance in home care to obtain good oral health.
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Increases risk toward periodontal (gum) disease
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Smoking and drinking are risk factors for higher incidence of tooth decay, periodontal disease and oral cancer.


Drinking is another issue. Heavy drinker are at greater risk of developing cancer in the mouth, throat and esophagus – as well as risking tooth decay from the increased exposure to sugars and acids within the drink. People with alcohol abuse problems have been shown to have a higher incidence of periodontal disease, tooth decay and potentially precancerous oral lesions.



Drinking Joins Smoking As Cancer Risk
 

Researchers representing the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization (WHO), report that excessive consumption of alcohol significantly raises the risk of cancer of the mouth, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and breast and may also be linked with cancer of the pancreas and lung. Moderation is the key recommendation because of alcohol’s protective benefits against cardiovascular disease. In developed countries in 2000, the WHO estimates that alcohol caused 185,000 deaths in men and 142,000 deaths in women, but it prevented 71,000 male deaths and 277,000 female deaths in the same year. Source: www.cnn.com 3/06.

                           Oral cancer is the sixth most common form of cancer in the U.S., 9 cases were found in our area just last year. If you catch it early the odds of 5-year survival are 76% . 
 Reduce your risk factors: The use of tobacco products is responsible for 80 to 90% of all oral cancers. A pack of cigarettes a day increases your oral cancer risk 4.5 times; six alcoholic drinks a day, 3.3 times; 7 to 9 drinks a day, 15 times. Heavy alcohol use combined with heavy tobacco use can increase the risk up to 100-fold


               VISIT YOUR DENTIST .  TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.








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