UK health service launches campaign to raise oral cancer awareness using toothpaste and mouthwash labels

Starting in July, Asda-branded oral hygiene products in more than 500 stores across the country will display NHS advice on symptoms to look out for, reported news agency PTI.

Millions of toothpaste tubes and mouthwash bottles will encourage people to contact their general practitioner or dentist if they notice any concerning symptoms.

England's state-funded health service stated that its partnership with Asda aims to raise awareness of symptoms that could indicate cancer, such as an ulcer lasting for three weeks or more.

Symptoms of mouth cancer include a white or red patch in the mouth that does not heal within three weeks, a lump or swelling in the mouth, jaw, or neck lasting more than three weeks, and difficulty swallowing, chewing, or moving the jaw or tongue.

Other signs can include numbness in the tongue or other areas of the mouth, a sensation of something being stuck in the throat, a chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists for more than six weeks, and unexplained loosening of teeth.

According to figures from the Mouth Cancer Foundation, mouth cancer is the eighth most common type of cancer in the UK, with over 11,700 new cases diagnosed each year. The disease is twice as prevalent in men as in women, and nearly 80% of cases occur in individuals over the age of 55.

The new NHS partnership, launched to coincide with World Head and Neck Cancer Day on July 27, includes an initiative to encourage young people to get the HPV vaccine, which can help lower the risk of cancers caused by HPV, including mouth cancer.

The vaccine is offered by the NHS to all children aged 12 to 13 and is also available for free to all girls and women under 25 and boys born after September 2006.

NHS England reports that the incidence of head and neck cancers in the country has increased by over 60% in recent decades, with the highest rise seen in developed countries for oropharynx cancer, which has one of the lowest five-year survival rates.