NHS and Asda team up to promote mouth cancer awareness on toothpaste and mouthwash

Asda’s own brand of oral hygiene products will now feature NHS advice on mouth cancer  _­­­

On World Head and Neck Cancer Day today (27 July), the National Health Service (NHS) has launched a new partnership with the British supermarket chain, Asda to raise awareness of mouth cancer symptoms.

As part of this partnership, the NHS will provide vital advice on millions of toothpaste tubes and mouthwash bottles, urging people to consult their GP or dentist if they notice any potential symptoms of mouth cancer.

Starting this month, the grocer’s own brand of oral hygiene products will feature NHS advice in over 500 Asda stores nationwide.

The NHS guidance will be displayed on the packaging, along with a link to more detailed information about mouth and throat cancer on the health service website.

Professor Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England, said: “Early detection of mouth cancer can help save lives and this fantastic new partnership with Asda will be vital in raising awareness of the signs and in supporting the NHS’s ambition to diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage.

“By placing health messaging on products like toothpaste tubes and mouthwash bottles that people use every day, we’re encouraging people to be vigilant about potential symptoms of mouth cancer and to get checked early.”

He emphasised that mouth cancers, like many other cancers, have a much better prognosis if found early.

Sam Dickson, Asda Vice President for Commercial Strategy, Operations & Own Brand, said: “Asda sells over 2 million of these everyday items each year, so making this small change to our packaging means we can make a big difference in encouraging shoppers to be more aware and to highlight what they should do if they find any new or unexplained changes.”

Mouth cancer prevalence in the UK

According to 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 78 per cent of cases occur in individuals over the age of 55.

Symptoms of mouth cancer include:

• An ulcer that lasts for three weeks or more
• 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 that persists for more than three weeks
• Difficulty swallowing, chewing, or moving the jaw or tongue
• Numbness in the tongue or other areas of the mouth
• A sensation of something being stuck in the throat
• Chronic sore throat or hoarseness lasting more than six weeks
• Unexplained loosening of teeth

These symptoms can be caused by other conditions, but early detection is crucial for the best chance of successful treatment.

“Any cancer caught early usually incurs a less invasive treatment plan,” noted Mahesh Kumar, President of the Mouth Cancer Foundation and Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon, emphasising the importance of raising awareness of the signs and symptoms among the general public.

“The NHS advice on oral hygiene products will go a long way to highlighting the importance of looking after our oral health and acting sooner when something out of the ordinary is discovered,” he added.  ­­­­­

On World Head and Neck Cancer Day, the NHS is encouraging young people to get the HPV vaccine, which can help reduce the risk of cancers caused by HPV, including mouth cancer. _­­­

The vaccine is offered through the NHS to all children aged 12 to 13 (school year 8) and is also available for free to all girls and women under 25, as well as boys born after 1 September 2006.