Alcohol abuse and tobacco use are the main risk factors contributing to mouth cancer.
According to the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), some 400,000–600,000 people in Finland drink too much, causing this group to be more likely to develop the potentially fatal condition.
Alcohol reduces saliva, erodes teeth and alters the mouth’s mucous lining. Drinking and smoking at the same time multiplies the oral cancer risk as alcohol aids absorption of tobacco into the system, say dentists ahead of the Finnish Dental Congress, which kicks off in Helsinki on Thursday.