Dentists warn: Oral sex can lead to oral cancer

ORAL sex could lead to cancer of the mouth more than smoking and drinking, doctors say.

At the joint conference of the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine Dental Association, doctors and dentists cited a study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that people who have more than five oral-sex partners are nine times more at risk of contracting cancer of the tonsils, tongue or throat.

Vic Fileo Chua, convener of the Movement for the Early Detection of Cancer, says “unprotected oral sex” can lead to various infections of the oral cavity. The Human Papilloma Virus, which causes genital warts, has been positively linked to cervical cancer in women.

“This same virus can cause oral cancers in both men and women engaged in oral sex,” Chua said.

“Sexually transmitted infections like Herpes, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and others can also cause serious irritations of the buccal cavity, and the repeated infections through oral sex can lead to cancers of the mouth.”

A study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute says more than four million young Filipinos have already engaged in sex, including oral sex. But only 20 percent of them protect themselves.

Anne Camus, president of the Manila chapter of the Philippine Dental Association, says the incidence of oral lesions among Manila’s residents is 15 percent. Any lesion of the mouth should be taken seriously, she says, because it can always develop into cancer.

“Dentists are usually the first to see lesions in the mouth of patients, she said.

“At this early point, if the lesion turns out to be malignant, then chances are it is still curable.” –Macon Ramos-Araneta, Manila Standard Today