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Diseases of the mouth
affect the ability to taste, chew, moisten and swallow food
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Cancers of the mouth
most common form is squamous cell carcinoma
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Cancers of the mouth most commonly found on
- floor of mouth
- tongue
- lower lip
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Major risk factors for cancers of the mouth
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Treatments for mouth cancers
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Oral inflammation or stomatitis
- widespread inflammation of mucous tissue of the mouth
- may appear as patches, ulcers, redness, bleeding or necrosis
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Causes of stomatitis
- local infections
- systemic infections
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Treatments of stomatitis
- increase water intake
- rinse with salt water
- proper oral hygiene
- topical anesthetic
- hydrogen peroxide with water or baking soda
- topical or systemic glucocorticosteroids
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Diseases of the esophagus
mainifests as dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
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Causes of dysphagia
- conditions that weaken or damage the muscles and nerves for swallowing - cerebral palsy, Parkinson's, stroke or head injury
- infection or irritation
- cleft palate
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Cancer of the esophagus
- occurs in men over the age of 60 and is almost always fatal
- metastasizes via lymph vessels to lungs and liver
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Major risk factors of esophageal cancer
- achalasia (difficulty swallowing from unrelaxed esophageal sphincter)
- precancerous changes in cells of the esophagus (Barrett's esophagus)
- radiation treatment to the chest or upper abdomen
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Main symptoms of esophageal cancer
- vomiting
- bad taste in mouth
- bad breath
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Tests for esophageal cancer
- endoscopy with biopsy
- esophageal x-ray with barium swallow
- CT and PET scans for staging
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Treatments for esophageal cancer
- surgery
- chemotherapy
- radiation therapy
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