By The Way...
By the way… did you know that Oral Sex Can Lead to Oral Cancer?
This has been a post that I have been wanting to write since I figured out the name for my website. I found it only appropriate to write this the day after March for Science.
In order to become dentists we have to take a heavy load of science courses. We are medical professionals, machinist, psychologists, and artists all at once. To our patients we are oral health care professionals. We treat their pain. Today the scientific data wins.
In the last few years there has been several research studies linking oral and pharyngeal (tongue, throat, mouth) cancer to HPV ( human papillomavirus). How is this linked? You do the math. ORAL SEX.
This topic can be seen as taboo in our industry because the more I practice dentistry, I find that it is a highly conservative field. No one wants to talk about oral sex leading to oral cancer in their office. I get it, but I am writing this article to break the taboo. We SHOULD be talking about this.
With today’s fast paced interconnected society where you can meet potential dates and partners by a click, swipe, or tap (tinder, bumble, and coffee meets bagel). I truly believe that people are being more active… sexually.
The research shows that the rate of oral cancer in young adults (<40) related to HPV is increasing. The ratio of males to females diagnosed with oral cancer is 2:1. (Rhodus, Et Al 2005).
CNN came out with an article April 6, 2017 that “more than 1 in 5 adults has cancer causing HPV”
It has been suggested that oral cancer relating to HPV will surpass cancer relating to tobacco use.
After meeting Dr. Rhodus, while at an Army CE lecture on Oral Pathology late in 2016, I asked why isn’t this topic being talked about. The evidence was out there. The ADA is aware, but there just has not been a campaign to talk about this. Dr. Rhodus was also frustrated at the situation. The situation is what it is--Not being discussed.
H P V X O R A L C A N C E R
I am now bringing the topic to the table in hopes that this will encourage the new generation of dentists to speak to their patients about the link between HPV and oral health.
If you are reading this, I encourage you to bring up HPV relating to oral cancer to your patients. This can be done during your head neck examination when you advise your patient about the link between oral cancer and tobacco use. i.e. “Research has found the link between HPV and oral cancer…”
I do this with my patients and it goes over just fine… I tell them, "As an oral health care professional it is my duty to inform you of this risk." The patients thank me afterwards.
The data and research speaks for itself. There is a relationship...as scientist we cannot say there is a direct cause because there are other factors to consider, however the link is present.
I see this as a public health issue that needs to be addressed through education. Therefore we should educate our patients, friends, and family.