28 October 2014

MPs at the House of Commons will today (Tuesday 28 October) be urged to help address one of the UK's most increasingly prominent cancers by donning on a pair of blue lips to raise awareness.

Oral health charity the British Dental Health Foundation will launch their month-long campaign, Mouth Cancer Action Month, to tackle a disease which has increased by 50 per cent in the last decade alone.

Sponsored by Denplan, the mouth cancer campaign will be officially launched by the Rt. Hon. Sir Paul Beresford and will feature an announcement about this year's theme - the blue lip selfie.

The Blue Lip Selfie campaign will attempt to confront the lack of knowledge which surrounds mouth cancer by making everybody mouthaware. The British Dental Health Foundation believe if people are aware of changes in their mouth, and in particular ulcers that do not heal within three weeks, lumps or swellings and red and white patches in the mouth, they are in a better position to act quickly.

Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, calls on those in attendance to take the campaign messages to the public in the hope of reducing growing mouth cancer rates.

Dr Carter said: "The blue lip selfies are a really good way of getting people interested in what the campaign is about. The reality is we are facing more cases and more deaths from mouth cancer than ever before, and we need the help of the profession to curb these statistics.

"If more people are made aware of the dangers of tobacco use, drinking alcohol to excess, poor diet and human papillomavirus (HPV), they will have a greater understanding of the risks they take. Mouth Cancer Action Month runs throughout November, so use the opportunity to raise awareness of the disease and catch a killer disease."

The launch event will also feature speeches from mouth cancer sufferer Jacky Merrison and a keynote speech from Emma Riley, former Oral Health Practitioner for the Pennine Trust. Representatives from campaign sponsors and supporters Denplan, Dentists' Provident and the Association of Dental Groups (ADG) will also address guests.

Dr Henry Clover, Deputy Chief Dental Officer at Denplan, added: "By encouraging everyone to adopt blue lips as a visible sign of support for mouth cancer, it is hoped this positive, interactive approach will significantly boost awareness of the disease.

"Denplan will also be launching a special Facebook app at www.bluelipselfie.co.uk to coincide with the beginning of the campaign. Users can upload and customise selfies with fun blue cartoon lips using the app and share them on the gallery. Share them on social media using #bluelipselfie and help to raise awareness of this killer disease."

In 2014 the British Dental Health Foundation is delighted to welcome campaign charity partner the Mouth Cancer Foundation.

You can read the press release story on the Mouth Cancer Action Month News section.