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Posted on 6/30/2019 by Oral Surgery Specialists of Austin |
 Oral cancer can affect anyone. There are people who have done nothing wrong in their life when it comes to oral care that still end up struggling with oral cancer. While oral cancer can affect anyone, there are several risk factors that can make a person more likely to end up dealing with oral cancer. Learning the risk factors is an important part of the early detection of oral cancer. The Factors You Cannot Control When thinking about the risk factors for oral cancer, you can break them down into two categories. The first category is the factors that you cannot control. The number one factor on this list is genetics. People that have a family history of any type of cancer, especially oral cancer, are at a higher risk for getting oral cancer. The only control you have over this is knowing your family history. People with a weakened immune system will also be at a higher risk. Other risk factors that you cannot control include where you live. There are some places in the country where people are at a higher risk for cancer. Not everyone can control where they are able to live. The Factors You Can Control While you may not control genetics, there are other factors that are completely under your control. People that smoke and people who use smokeless tobacco are at a much higher risk for oral cancer. People that do not follow good oral hygiene habits put themselves at risk. Other risk factors that people can control include excessive use of alcohol and overexposure to the sun. People that struggle with an STD or that have had an STD are at an increased risk for oral cancer. All these things are within the control of the individual if they want to keep their body healthy and happy. Having increased risk factors does not mean you will end up with oral cancer. It only means you need to be more vigilant in watching for the signs of oral cancer. It also means you may want to change some things to reduce your risk and it means you need to get regular oral cancer screenings. Contact our office to schedule an appointment to learn about this and any other oral health issue. |
