Tobacco and/or alcohol use, poor oral hygiene, poor nutrition, irritation and chronic infections are all causes of oral cancer.

Follow these steps when examining your mouth:

• remove any dentures
• look and feel inside the lips and the front of gums
• tilt head back to inspect and feel the roof of your mouth
• pull the cheek out to see its inside surface as well as the back of the gums
• pull out your tongue and look at all of its surfaces
• feel for lumps or enlarged lymph nodes (glands) in both sides of the neck including under the lower jaw

Look for the following when self examining your mouth:

• white patches of the oral tissues — leukoplakia
• red patches — erythroplakia
• red and white patches — erythroleukoplakia
• a sore that fails to heal and bleeds easily
• an abnormal lump or thickening of the tissues of the mouth
• chronic sore throat or hoarseness
• difficulty in chewing or swallowing
• a mass or lump in the neck

If you have any of these symptoms, make an appointment with your oral & maxillofacial surgeon. They may suggest a biopsy to remove a piece of the suspicious tissue. If so, the tissue is sent to pathology laboratory for a microscopic examination to accurately diagnose the problem.