Head and neck cancers – a collective term which generally refers to cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx and other sites of the head and neck - are the eighth most common cancer group in the UK and the incidence and mortality rates are increasing in England, with nearly 12,000 new cases recorded in 2023.
Growth is largely due to an increase in oropharyngeal cancers, which are associated with Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and alcohol consumption.
The BDA stress that given HPV does not follow the traditional risk factors of higher needs patients, lack of priority in restoring access to routine NHS care for the ‘dentally fit’ will inevitably lead to late detection and poorer prognoses. Early detection results in a roughly 90% survival rate, compared with 50% following delayed diagnosis. The government has been prioritising urgent care, rather than rebuilding routine services.
The BDA has been a strong advocate of preventive approaches and laments that HPV vaccine coverage in adolescents remains lower than pre-pandemic levels.
BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said:
“The Health Secretary is quite right: cancer survival shouldn't be a postcode lottery. But as long as access to NHS dentistry remains a game of chance that's exactly where we'll be.
“Dentists are on the front line in the battle against oral cancers, where early detection is so key. It’s no overstatement to say that failure to restore access to care will cost lives.
“It’s one thing to have a cancer plan, it’s quite another to invest in the workforce and tools to boost detection and improve survivability.”