Oral cancer is the missing piece in the Government’s plan

We now have a new National Cancer Plan, but without the political will to restore access to routine dental services there will be little material progress to end the growth in oral cancers.

Head and neck cancers 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.

However, HPV does not follow the traditional risk factors of higher needs patients, so the 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 diagnoses. The Government has been prioritising urgent care, rather than rebuilding routine services.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is quite right when he says “cancer survival shouldn’t come down to who won the lottery of life”.

Clearly cancer survival shouldn't be a postcode lottery, but as long as access to NHS dentistry remains a game of chance that is exactly where we will be.

“Dentists are on the front line in the battle against oral cancers, where early detection is so key,” warns our Chair Eddie Crouch. “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.”

Last year we were proud to bring Tony Page, an oral cancer survivor from Folkestone, to Downing Street, to deliver a message from over a quarter of a million people: that deeds need to match words when it comes to saving this service.

He was referred to hospital in 2014 after his dentist spotted an abnormality in his mouth.

Within six weeks, cancerous parts of his tongue and jaw had been removed. That checkup saved his life.

Tony says that now “you can’t get an NHS dentist within 50 miles. Some people could die through the lack of availability.

“It also costs the NHS more money... as later detection is likely to lead to more extensive surgery, worse outcomes and longer hospital stays.”

We continue to fight for reform and funding that can deliver for patients like Tony.