Young people are being urged to take better care of their teeth. Picture: Ewan Bellamy/Flickr
YOUNG people who regularly smoke, drink alcohol or engage in oral sex could be doing more harm than good, oral health experts have warned.
The Australian Dental Association’s Dr Peter Alldritt said the risk of oral cancer is increasing among people aged between 18 and 30.
“Most cancers in the back of the throat used to be caused by smoking and heavy alcohol consumption and used to be primarily in older adults, particularly males,” Dr Alldritt said.
“We’re now seeing an increasing number of oral cancers in young people, these young people may be completely non smokers and they might be low to moderate alcohol consumers, so where’s it coming from? It’s coming from HPV.”
The human papillomavirus (HPV) can be contracted through oral sex leading to mouth cancer, Dr Alldritt said.
“When you’re young you feel like you’re invincible, you’re healthy, you’re fit and everything’s good and you don’t think about what the consequences could be later in life for actions that you take now,” he said.
Excessive drinking of alcohol, soft drinks and acidic fruit juices could cause permanent damage to the mouth including serious tooth decay, Dr Alldritt said.
The dental association has launched a young person’s “oral survival guide” with advice to ensure “your mouth makes it through your twenties”.
Almost a quarter of Australians aged between 15 and 24 suffer untreated tooth decay, according to figures published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The University of Melbourne’s deputy head of dental science, Professor Mike Morgan, said access to dental treatment including the cost of services is an issue for Australians, especially low-income earners.
“Access to good dental care is a problem for people in this country and particularly those who are on low salaries or no salaries at all in the case of students,” Professor Morgan said.
“When you combine that with risky behaviours then you really do have a group of people who have high risks to disease and lack of prevention.”
Oral diseases cost Victorians $2.2 billion each year while more than 60,000 Australians are hospitalised annually for avoidable dental conditions, according to Dental Health Services Victoria and Flinders University.
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