Mouth Cancer Action Month: the 90-second check in every dental exam

There is a part of every dental examination that most patients never notice. It takes about ninety seconds. Dr Alan looks under your tongue, runs a gloved finger along the floor of your mouth, checks the insides of your cheeks and the roof of your mouth, and gently feels the glands in your neck. He is checking for mouth cancer. November is Mouth Cancer Action Month, the Oral Health Foundation's annual campaign, and it is a good moment to explain what that check is for, why it matters more than it used to, and what you can look for yourself between visits.

Why mouth cancer is on the rise in the UK

The Oral Health Foundation's most recent State of Mouth Cancer report puts the number of people diagnosed in the UK at 8,864 in a single year. Twenty years ago that figure was less than half what it is now. Cases have grown by 103% in two decades, which makes mouth cancer one of the few cancers whose incidence is going up rather than down.

The reasons are well understood. Tobacco in any form and alcohol are the two traditional risk factors, and they multiply each other. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is now a major cause of cancers at the back of the mouth and throat, particularly in younger people who have never smoked. Sun exposure causes cancer of the lip. A diet low in fruit and vegetables plays a part. And, bluntly, the fewer people who see a dentist regularly, the fewer early cancers get caught while they are still small.

What Dr Alan is looking for

A mouth cancer screen is visual and tactile. There is no scan, no needle and nothing uncomfortable. During a routine examination Dr Alan checks:

• The lips, inside and out
• The inside of both cheeks
• The top, sides and underside of the tongue
• The floor of the mouth beneath the tongue, which is a common site and hard to see yourself
• The hard and soft palate
• The back of the throat and tonsil area
• The lymph nodes in the neck and under the jaw

He is looking for ulcers that have not healed, red or white patches, lumps, thickened areas, and anything that has changed since your last visit. That last point is why regular attendance matters: an experienced dentist who has seen your mouth every six months knows what is normal for you.

The signs to check for yourself

The Oral Health Foundation's advice is to be “mouthaware”: check your own mouth once a month, in good light, with a mirror. The things worth a phone call to us are:

• A mouth ulcer that has not healed within three weeks
• A red or white patch anywhere in the mouth
• A lump or swelling in the mouth, on the lip, or in the neck
• Unexplained numbness of the lip or tongue
• Persistent hoarseness, or difficulty swallowing that has no obvious cause
• A tooth that has become loose for no reason

Almost all of these turn out to be something harmless. Ulcers from a sharp tooth, a burn from hot food, a bitten cheek. But three weeks is the line. If an ulcer is still there after three weeks, we want to see it. Nobody at the practice will think you are wasting their time.

What happens if we find something

If Dr Alan sees something he is not happy with, he will tell you plainly and explain what he can see. In most cases the first step is to remove any obvious cause, such as smoothing a rough filling that is rubbing, and review in two weeks. If a lesion is suspicious, or has not settled at review, he will refer you urgently to the oral and maxillofacial team at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage under the NHS two-week-wait pathway. That referral is free, it is fast, and being a private patient makes no difference to it.

The mouth cancer check at Bowling Green

Every examination at Bowling Green Dental Surgery includes a soft tissue and mouth cancer screen as standard. It is not an add-on and there is no separate fee. A routine examination is £55, and a new patient examination is £81 including a hygiene appointment at the same visit. The mouth cancer check is part of both. If you have not had a check-up in a couple of years, and the August 2026 NHS figures suggest that is true of most adults in England, November is as good a reason as any to book one.

If you would like the check but are anxious about the dentist, read our guide for nervous patients first. An examination is the gentlest possible appointment: nothing is drilled, nothing is injected, and you stay in control throughout.