This year's Mouth Cancer Action Month was launched on 25 October at the Houses of Parliament. The launch signalled the start of the campaign which is dedicated to raising awareness of a disease that will claim 30,000 lives in the next decade.

Hosted by Parliamentary sponsor the Rt. Hon. Sir Paul Beresford MP, the launch included speeches from some of the industry's leading experts including the British Dental Health Foundation's (BDHF's) Chief Executive Dr Nigel Carter, its President Daniel Davis, Dr Saman Warnakulasuriya and former mouth cancer sufferer Cllr Sally Bragg.

Dr Nigel Carter highlighted the importance of early detection in the battle against mouth cancer: 'Getting people to talk about mouth cancer is incredibly important. We have had a tremendous response to the campaign, particularly in the last couple of years, but we must work harder to ensure this year's campaign can build on that success'.

A new website dedicated to raising awareness of mouth cancer has been launched by oral health educators at the BDHF (www.mouthcancer.org). Visitors to the site will be able to access information on the symptoms and early warning signs of the disease, its risk factors, the latest facts and figures as well as guidance on self-examination and early detection.

The BDHF is also calling on dentists, doctors and pharmacists to educate members of the general public about a disease that kills more people in the UK than testicular and cervical cancer combined, under the tagline 'if in doubt, get checked out'. The BDHF encourages dental professionals to organise more mouth cancer screenings following a successful initiative in the Republic of Ireland which found cancers in six people of 1,800 screened.

Information, resources, an online shop and details about obtaining a Blue Ribbon Appeal Kit to display in your practice can all be found at www.mouthcancer.org.