The risk of developing mouth cancer has become a serious threat for the nation’s middle-aged and young people, especially among those who chew beetle nuts, said Yen Chi-feng (顏啟峰), director of the dentistry department at Catholic Mercy Hospital in Hsinchu County.
Chewing betel nuts is a major factor that increases the risk of developing mouth cancer.
Taiwan has 2 million betel-nut users, he said, adding that they are 29 times more likely to develop mouth cancer and accounted for 88 percent of mouth cancer patients in the nation.
Betel nuts pose greater health risks if chewed alongside tobacco or alcohol, as people who chew betel nuts, smoke and drink are 123 times more likely to develop mouth cancer, Yen said.
“According to my clinical observations, many betel nut users have the misconception that it is the additives, like bleaching agents, white dust [lime], or red dust [spiced lime] that are carcinogenic, and they would be safe if they chew the nuts without the additives. However, the betel nut itself is actually a carcinogen,” he said.
Although Taiwan has an aging population, the majority of mouth cancer patients are between 25 and 44 years of age, with the bottom end of the age bracket getting lower every year, Yen said.
“This might compromise the stability of the demographic structure,” he said.
He has treated an 18-year-old patient who works in an industrial district, Yen said, adding that the patient came to his clinic with complaints of pain in his mouth and that during examination, he discovered that the patient had typical symptoms of mouth cancer — mouth ulcers and difficulty moving his jaw.
The patient was referred to the hospital’s oncology department and made a full recovery following a surgery.
The patient had no idea that chewing betel nuts can have serious consequences, Yen said, adding that the patient told him that he chewed betel nuts because his co-workers did.
“Signs of mouth cancer include abnormal growths in the oral orifice, such as brown spots on the tongue or white spots on the lips, and in serious cases there can be ulcers on the oral mucous membrane or fibrosis, causing difficulty in opening one’s mouth. Unfortunately, many people pay no attention to the abnormalities in their mouth, or delay seeing a doctor because they are scared,” Yen said.
Mouth cancer surgeries negatively affect physiological functions, physical appearance and quality of life, and are a considerable drain on medical resources, he said.
People aged between 18 and 29 who chew betel nuts and smoke cigarettes can take advantage of biannual mouth cancer screenings subsidized by the Health Promotion Administration, Yen said.
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