A MOBILE dental clinic will be in the town next week to help raise awareness of mouth cancer, a disease which kills more people a year than road accidents.
The service will be available at Malvern Community Hospital in the Link between 1.30pm and 4.30pm on Tuesday (November 25).
It is part of Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust’s contribution to Mouth Cancer Action Month.
The number of people diagnosed in the last ten years has gone up by 50 per cent and in 2013 there were 89 new cases of head and neck cancers in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
It is estimated four in five sufferers do not recognise the symptoms and two thirds of cases are diagnosed at a late stage.
Excessive drinking, smoking, a poor diet and the papillomavirus are all risk factors and the message of the latest campaign is ‘if in doubt, get checked out’.
Rachel Wakley, dental services business manager for the Trust, said: “Mouth cancer is still a disease that has limited public awareness, which is concerning when we see the number of cases increasing each year.
“Mouth Cancer Action Month is about saving lives and educating the public about the early signs of the disease.
“Early detection of mouth cancer is one of the most important aspects of an oral assessment and dental professionals play a major part in this process.
“The good news is that if mouth cancer is caught early enough, then the chances of survival substantially increase.”