The British Dental Association has said that without political will to restore access to routine dental services there will be little material progress to end the growth in oral cancers.
The new National Cancer Plan does not single out any specific cancer type. Head and neck cancers – a collective term which generally refers to cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx and other sites of the head and neck – 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.
The BDA stress that given HPV does not follow the traditional risk factors of higher needs patients, 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 diagnosis. The government has been prioritising urgent care, rather than rebuilding routine services.
The BDA has been a strong advocate of preventive approaches and laments that HPV vaccine coverage in adolescents remains lower than pre-pandemic levels.
BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: “The Health Secretary is quite right: cancer survival shouldn’t be a postcode lottery. But as long as access to NHS dentistry remains a game of chance that’s exactly where we’ll be. Dentists are on the front line in the battle against oral cancers, where early detection is so key. 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.”
The Oral Health Foundation, meanwhile, welcomes the plan and its ambition to ensure urgent referral and treatment targets are met. The charity further warns that without improving access to NHS dentistry, cases of mouth cancer will continue to go undiagnosed.
Dr Rachael England, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the Oral Health Foundation, said: “We welcome the ambition in the National Cancer Plan, but ambition alone will not save lives. Patients with mouth cancer are already paying the price of delayed diagnosis and long waits, often facing devastating impacts on how they speak, eat and live.
“If the government is serious about improving outcomes, it must urgently improve access to NHS dentistry alongside wider cancer services. Early detection and timely treatment are non-negotiable – and patients will judge this plan on delivery, not promises.”
