Oral sex linked to mouth cancer: Swedish study

Oral sex linked to mouth cancer: Swedish study

Certain cases of mouth cancer appear to be caused by a virus that can be contracted during oral sex.

People who contract a high-risk variety of the human papilloma virus, HPV, during oral sex are more likely to fall ill with mouth cancer, according to a study conducted at the Malmo University Faculty of Odontology in southern Sweden.
“You should avoid having oral sex,” dentist and researcher Kerstin Rosenquist, who headed the study, told Swedish news agency TT. HPV is a wart virus that causes many cervical cancers, including endometrial cancer (in the uterus).Comparing 132 patients with mouth cancer with a control group of 320 healthy people, Rosenquist found that 36 percent of the cancer patients were carriers of HPV while only one percent of the control group had the virus.
The main factors that contribute to mouth cancer, most commonly contracted by middle aged and older men, are smoking and drinking alcohol. “But in recent years the illness has been on the rise among young individuals and we don’t know why. But one could speculate that this virus (HPV) is one of the factors,” Rosenquist said.

Her findings confirm other international studies in recent years. 11/18/05

Something to think about: Human Papilloma Virus has been linked to 30-40% of oral cancers, I did a quick Google search which turned up several credible sources backing up the information, mostly linking HPV strains 16 & 18 to pharyngeal/tonsillar cancers. Yet, HPV vaccine is only covered by health insurance for 9 year old girls. The vaccine is a series of 3 injections each costing $150 (here in California). So the cost to a non 9-year-old-female would be $450.

Patients with pharyngeal & tonsillar warts may be reticent about removing them. (high risks of bleeding) The vaccine isn’t a cure for existing warts, but as time goes on and all people get vaccinated then maybe fewer oral cancers will arise. And maybe (sexual practices being what they are) the case for removing existing oral warts becomes more compelling, Dr. KB Dental Drugs Forum 8/06

Warning as dental tourism booms

Thousands are seeking dental work overseas wrote the daily mail

Thousands are seeking cut-price dental work overseas because they cannot get an appointment on the Health Service, it has been claimed.

The most popular destinations are Hungary and Poland where treatment can be several thousand pounds cheaper than private work here.Experts warned last night, however, that these trips could be a false economy.

Frances Blunden of consumer magazine Which? said: “People should go into this with their eyes wide open.

“They need to be mindful of what would happen if they needed follow-up treatment. They could end up having to pay twice over. And it will be very hard to complain.”

The figures issued by the health tourism website Reva-Health.com show that 35,000 Britons a year are travelling abroad for dental work.

This number is expected to increase in the next year to between 52,500 and 70,000.

Tourists are apparently saving an average of £3,745.

The typical value of overseas dental treatments on the website was £2,200 before travel costs. The same treatment here would cost around £5,945.

Recent figures from Which? showed that more than a million patients cannot get an appointment for their teeth on the NHS.

Around 500 dentists left the service in one year after the Government botched the introduction of a new contract.

RevaHealth.com chief executive Caelen King said: “There are many good reasons why people are deciding to travel abroad, including long waiting lists and the potential for massive cost savings.”

However, Peter Ward, chief executive of the British Dental Association, said: “Perhaps people should look beyond the economic reasons for going abroad and make sure the level of service they are getting is comparable with the UK.”