New Orthodontics opens for both NHS and Private

THE newly opened Diamond Apex status Orthodontics, Turret, on Altway, Aintree, (L106LE), are getting ready to give a warm welcome to the local community with an open day, on 8 December 2022, to demonstrate how their service works. Turret Orthodontics welcomes any new patients requiring orthodontic treatment, including:- Invisalign®, Spark Aligners, and a large variety of braces including:- metal, ceramic, clear, self litigating, and Lingual. They also take NHS patients. For anyone interested in finding out more about the open day the it is recommended to follow them on Instagram at TurretOrtho. For further information you can contact them directly on:- 01515316333, or Aintree@TurretOrtho.Co.UK. If you wish to book a FREE consultation then book online at:- TurretOrtho.Co.UK. It is worth noting that the new location is easily accessible by train, using the Old Roan Railway Merseyrail Station, on the Ormskirk Branch of the Northern Line. It is also on the bus stop of the Arriva ARR300 service from Southport to Aintree, and if travelling by car, it has free 1 hour parking outside.
 

Health experts alarmed at fall in HPV vaccine uptake

PLUMMETING uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine at UK Schools has left tens of thousands of children at risk of deadly cancers and dangerous diseases, says the Oral Health Foundation.

Latest figures from 2020/21 show 147,337 School children in the UK went without a single dose of the HPV vaccine, leaving them completely unprotected against:- mouth, cervical, anal, and penile cancers.

The UK currently runs a 2 dose HPV vaccination programme for all School children. 2 dose HPV vaccination has plummeted by 23% compared with pre-Pandemic levels; leaving 317,581 children at greater risk.

School closures and home learning throughout the Pandemic, in addition to increasing numbers of children being off School in isolation, have led to severe disruption for the vaccine programme.

Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, believes the decline in uptake of the vaccine is extremely concerning and calls for NHS trusts across the UK to get the HPV programme back on track.

Dr Carter says:- "HPV is a leading cause of mouth cancer, which claims the lives of 8 people every day and having the vaccination is the best form of protection against it. Lower School attendance over the last two years has meant that thousands of children have not been granted the same protection as in previous years. This is unfair and unjust. We must not allow these children to slip through the gaps. It is now the responsibility of all local School immunisation teams to make sure children who missed the vaccine during the Pandemic are allowed to receive it. Likewise, provisions must be in place to meet the needs of this year's batch of children who are eligible for the vaccine."

HPV is transmitted through sexual activity and 80% unvaccinated adults will pick it up at some point in their life. For most people, it causes no symptoms and people will not know they have it.

However, in some people, HPV develops into cancer. It can also cause genital warts.

HPV is linked to 5% of all cancers and is a leading cause of mouth cancer and cervical cancer.

New cases of mouth cancer in the UK have increased by 34% in the last decade while rates have more than doubled within the last generation.

Despite this, awareness of HPV remains poor. 47% of UK adults have not heard of HPV and 84% do not know that HPV is a cause of mouth cancer. Of the people who have heard of HPV, 23% do not know there's a vaccination for it according to the Oral Health Foundation.

Catherine Tannahill, a dentist, and director of dentistry at Portman Dental Care, has 1st hand experience with patients with mouth cancer caused by HPV. In 2019, Dr Tannahill recognised the early signs of mouth cancer in a patient, and that early intervention led to an early diagnosis and successful treatment of mouth cancer.

Dr Tannahill says:- "The number of people being diagnosed with mouth cancer continues to grow at a frightening rate. As dentists, we see 1st hand the impact mouth cancer can have, but we can play a pivotal role in the detection of mouth cancer. Dentists will always check for signs of the disease during any routine appointment, so no 1 should ever be worried about visiting their dentist. That's why during Mouth Cancer Action Month we also want to ensure people are aware of what the signs and symptoms are, what to do if they spot an issue themselves and what steps they can take to reduce the risk of developing mouth cancer."

Incredibly, 62% people have never checked for signs of mouth cancer, with only 19% looking for early warning signs at least once a month.

The Oral Health Foundation and Portman Dental Care are urging parents to learn more about HPV, investigate the vaccine and give consent for their children to have it at School.

Dr Tannahill adds:- "Early diagnosis of mouth cancer leads to a 90% survival rate, which is why it is essential that people visit their dentist for regular examinations, check for common signs of mouth cancer at least once a month, and, if they are concerned, seek advice from a healthcare professional as soon as possible if you have any concerns. But the HPV vaccine could be a significant weapon in the fight against mouth cancer. It is an incredible privilege to have this vaccine at our disposal against a virus that causes cancer. The HPV vaccine is extremely safe and effective, and I'd encourage all parents to consider allowing their child to receive it."

Mouth cancer can have a debilitating impact on a person's quality of life. It often affects how they can swallow, drink and eat.

Speech may also be impacted, and occasionally even lost while facial disfigurement can also occur. This can lead to other problems such as nutritional deficiency, and depression.

Because HPV is transmitted through sex, it is advised that people get the HPV vaccination before they become sexually active.

The vaccine is free and available in School years 8 and 9 in England and Wales. The equivalent in Scotland is S2 and S3 and in Northern Ireland Years 9 and 10.

If you're eligible and miss the HPV vaccine offered in Year 8, at School, it's available for free on the NHS up until your 25th birthday for:-

►   Girls born after 1 September 1991.

►   Boys born after 1 September 2006.

Rachel Parsons (48), a mother of 5 from Coventry, was diagnosed with suspected HPV mouth cancer after noticing a lump in her mouth. Rachel says:- "I had several recurring mouth ulcers and the lump had got worse. My mum was then reading an article in a magazine about mouth cancer, and she pleaded with me to the Doctors. They instantly referred me for an urgent biopsy. I remember being sat at home the night before I got the results thinking 'I've got cancer.' In my head, I saw what was going to happen, where I was going to sit, what the consultant would say to me, everything. My eldest son asked me why I was up so early, and I replied 'because I might have cancer. Sure enough, the next day was a massive de Ja Vu. I had cancer."

All of Rachel's children have received the HPV vaccination and Rachel says she wouldn't want anyone to go through what she did. Rachel says:- "I think personally what made me want the jabs is the fact that my daughter was already vaccinated and the increase of head and neck cancers and HPV. I wanted my boy vaccinated so he would have the same protection. I didn't want either of them to go through what I had to go through. People think it is a std, but you can't always get it through sex. It's not about sleeping with a lot of people; it can just stay dormant for years. You must explain what it really is. Young people can be more vulnerable but its not always contracted through sex by being promiscuous. Vaccines are important, Covid and HPV vaccines are the same, a must for you to be safe. If anyone has the opportunity to get it, they should go for it. No 1 should go through what I did."

For more information about HPV and the HPV vaccination, visit:- MouthCancer.Org.