Medical research and studies have indicated that smokers have the chances of contracting oral cancer six times higher compared to non-smokers. Even chewing tobacco can increase the risk of getting cheek, gums, and lips cancer of more than fifty times.

Oral cancer has one of the most harmful effects that smoking can bring. If you think that oral cancer is uncommon, what you may need to know is that the death rate from oral cancers including tongue, mouth, gums, tonsils and pharynx exceeds the death rate from cervical cancer.

Youth face the most risk of contracting oral cancer. The amount of youths under 18 who have becomes smokers have increase by 70 percent over the last period of 10 years. An average of 3000 youths pick up smoking every single day. Statistics show that 1/3 of them will also die of tobacco related illness. Most youth who experiment with cigarettes will become hooked all the way until adulthood.

75 percent of oral cancers are mostly related to the use of tobacco or alcohol. 2 percent of female cancer patients suffer from oral cancer while 3 percent of male cancer patients suffer from oral cancer. The death rates of oral cancer victims are high. Even so, 50 percent of people who contracted oral cancer will only survive for another 5 years or more. This is due to the fact that the disease of oral cancer will not be discovered until much later, which will be too late.

There are early warning signs that one may have contracted oral cancer such as:

Black hairy tongue (lingua villosa nigra)

Oral wounds

Gum disease

Bad breath

Smoker's palate' (red inflammation on the roof of the mouth)

Brown teeth

Smoking is a serious health problem for the youth, to the extent of contracting oral cancer that can be fatal. Although independent bodies and the government have taken action to promote smoking cessation, parents and adults should educate the next generation of why they should quit smoking.