Recent news stories in the Daily Mail, New York Post, Men’s Health and Fox News suggest your dentist may start asking about your sex life. Why? Because transmission of two strains of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV-16 and/or HPV-18) through intimate contact may lead to the development of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). This type of cancer occurs at the back of the mouth/top of the throat, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates the numbers are on the rise. According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 50,000 cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx will be diagnosed this year in the U.S.

A study in the January 2018 Journal of the American Dental Association evaluated dentists’ level of knowledge and willingness to talk with patients about HPV-associated Oropharyngeal Cancer (OPC) and finds that more dentists need to prepare to have “the talk” with their patients.

As a dentist, and as the head of the American Dental Association’s Science Institute, I couldn’t agree more that dentists and patients should have “the talk”—but that talk should be about OPC prevention. The HPV vaccine was originally developed for prevention of cervical cancer, yet the oropharynx (back of the mouth/top of the throat) is actually the most common site for HPV-associated cancers. All of the available HPV vaccines protect against HPV-16 and HPV-18, which are the estimated cause of 60% of oropharyngeal cancer currently diagnosed. 

The ADA has teamed up with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to help increase HPV vaccination rates and eliminate tobacco use to reduce cancer. The HPV vaccine can be administered to males and females and is recommended by both the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Specific vaccination recommendations are provided by the CDC here. For adult patients who are not eligible to receive the HPV vaccine, dentists can raise awareness of the risk of mouth and throat cancers associated with HPV-16 and/or HPV-18 transmitted through oral sex.  

Dentists want to help their patients prevent mouth and throat cancer, and they are also on the front lines of noting potentially malignant lesions. Dentists periodically examine patients’ mouths and feel for lumps or other abnormalities along the neck, jaw and lymph nodes, referring patients to specialists for diagnosis. This can lead to earlier and potentially life-saving treatment. Now more than ever before it’s important that we all realize that oral health is integral to overall health. Click to view our clinical and patient Oral Cancer resources now.