- During the last five years, 656,062 cases of cancer of the lip and oral cavity in men were registered in the world. With respect to Mexico, 1,671 were recorded in the same period.
- Oral cancer cases are becoming more frequent in men under 30 years of age.
- World Oral Health Day is commemorated every March 20.
The epidemiological profile of patients with oral cancer has changed in recent times. Two decades ago it occurred in elderly men between the ages of 60 and 70 who had smoked and drank for a long time. Instead, today it is common to find young people of 18, 20 or 30 years with this condition.
These cases are a “red flag” and are related to the human papillomavirus (HPV), says the person in charge of the Dentistry Clinic of the National School of Higher Studies (ENES), León Unit, UNAMGerman Villanueva Sanchez.
A tumor that increasingly occurs in younger people
Before, people had been smoking and drinking for 20 years or more. Toxic substances from tobacco combined with ethanol in any of its presentations make a direct dilution that, in the oral cavity, affects the cell nuclei. Ultimately it makes them unstable so they mutate and make a malignancy or oral cancer.
“We have seen that their cases are linked to HPV through orogenital relationships. This is a cancer that, just as it affects the uterine cervix in women, also damages the oral cavity. The causative virus has an affinity for the epithelia and the dermis. Lesions in the mouth are small papillomas, warts and/or cauliflower-like condylomas.
According to the Global Cancer Observatory, in the last five years there have been 656,062 cases of cancer of the lip and oral cavity in men worldwide. With respect to Mexico, 1,671 were recorded in the same period.
The expert in the epidemiology of pathologies of the oral and maxillofacial complex reports that more than 200 viral subtypes of HPV are currently known. The one related to mouth cancer is type 16, while 18 is linked to cancer in the pharynx.
“It does not mean that a person who has had oral sex and is infected with HPV in the oral cavity will immediately develop cancer. Individuals have an immune system that protects us and if it is strong, on many occasions there are no injuries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines leukoplakia and erythroplakia, white or very red macules or spots that can be located on the lateral edges of the tongue as premalignant lesions of the oral cavity.
“Dentists, general practice dentists are our eyes because pathologists can’t be everywhere. If these spots are detected in patients, they should be evaluated by the oral pathology specialist and, if necessary, biopsied. The purpose is to rule out having a precancerous lesion or established cancer.
When performing an intraoral inspection, it must be comprehensive and not limited to the teeth, since many pathologies are found in the soft tissues.
Main prevention measures
In Mexico and worldwide, the most frequent dental diseases are caries because 95 percent of the population presents it at different levels. Then there are periodontal diseases or periodontal diseases, that is, when there is inflammation in the soft tissues or in the maxillary bones. These pathologies are evolutionary.
“A patient can start with inflammation in the gum and not be limited there, over time it can go down to deep tissues, compromising the bone. It is when they begin to have this sensation of movement of the tooth with the tongue ”.
The Doctor of Science argues that vulnerable groups such as people with diabetes require more attention, since having imbalances at the systemic level of glucose, they present a greater predisposition to periodontitis, gingivitis.
Those who have periodontal disease also suffer greater cardiovascular compromises because the oral cavity is anatomically related to the cardiac, trunk, and chest areas.
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