Health encyclopaedia

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

Causes of Cancer of the mouth

Cancer of the mouth is often related to tobacco use. Switching from cigarettes to a pipe or cigars, or using snuff or oral tobacco (chewing tobacco), does not reduce the risk. Using low tar or ‘light’ brands will not help either. Keeping a quantity of tobacco in one place in the mouth for long periods is particularly dangerous. It often causes leukoplakia (see Symptoms), a recognised pre-cancerous condition. Other factors that may encourage the development of mouth cancer include:

• over-consumption of alcohol, especially spirits,
• the combination of alcohol and smoking,
• badly-fitting dentures,
• poor care of teeth, especially if they are rough or jagged,
• constant irritation to the tongue from a sharp edge on a tooth, and
• chewing the areca (betel) nut or betel leaf (pahn) – this is a common practice among certain cultural groups such as those with Bangledeshi heritage.

The combination of alcohol and cigarette smoke is a major cause because the absorption of the cancer-producing substances (carcinogens) in cigarette smoke is enhanced by alcohol.

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