twenty fourth January 2020

In 2016 I used to be identified with Triple Adverse Breast Most cancers – fully out of the blue – after a routine mammogram.  If you’re identified with most cancers, it’s troublesome to assume clearly.  You usually deal with the life-saving therapies resembling chemotherapy and radiotherapy and the very fact you’ve gotten most cancers – every part else takes a again seat.  It’s additionally a wierd world that you simply’re thrown into as a result of your GP usually takes a again seat and you’ve got a brand new staff who steps in – an oncologist, a surgeon and often a specialist nurse – to not point out the terminology and acronyms you instantly must be taught. 

It’s very straightforward at analysis to grow to be fully overwhelmed and the very last thing in your thoughts is your dental well being.  I, and I think many others, consider dentistry as outdoors of my normal well being and nearly a separate entity (the identical with eye well being and opticians).  I think I’m not alone in feeling like this and, though my dental well being has all the time been necessary and I attend common check-ups, my dental care didn’t even cross my thoughts.

In some unspecified time in the future early in analysis, most cancers sufferers are given a type to use for exemption from paying prescription prices for a interval of 5 years (renewable if the affected person is constant to have most cancers therapy).  Many sufferers assume the exemption covers dental therapy and it’s solely once they go to their dentist, they uncover it’s not. To confuse issues, pregnant women are given free dental take care of a yr after their child is born so it’s fully comprehensible that you simply’d logically assume that dental therapy could be coated.

The recommendation given to most cancers sufferers additionally varies drastically.  Some are suggested to see their dentist earlier than therapy begins and others aren’t given any recommendation in any respect.  I used to be informed by a fellow most cancers affected person to have a check-up however wasn’t suggested to take action by my medical staff.  Not having a check-up (and any work wanted) earlier than chemotherapy can have disastrous penalties.  Chemotherapy is halted if the affected person develops an an infection.  If dental work is required throughout therapy, many dentists is not going to assist a affected person and they’re referred to a dental hospital.  Recovering from an an infection with a suppressed immune system is problematic and an extended course of than once you’re nicely and this could significantly prolong your therapy.

Whereas I’m discussing the necessity for pre-treatment check-ups, I feel it’s necessary to say that I’ve been informed numerous instances that sufferers are unable to see their dentist in a well timed style.  The wait to see my dentist is often over 6 weeks and when confronted with ready 6 weeks for a dental check-up or beginning chemotherapy in 4 weeks, the dental work takes a again seat.  To exacerbate the difficulty, many dental practices are usually not taking over NHS sufferers and this forces most cancers sufferers to pay for personal therapy or, worse nonetheless, not go in any respect.  Sadly, this can be a actual alternative confronted by many.

After listening to so many horror tales of costly dental work required by most cancers sufferers, or sufferers being unable to afford dental therapy, I made a decision to start out a marketing campaign on Change.Org asking totally free dental therapy for all most cancers sufferers.  Prices had been on the forefront of my thoughts at the moment however truly, on reflection, I imagine the marketing campaign wants a wider method and once I meet with a consultant from the Division of Well being and Social Care, I might be asking them to contemplate a 4-point plan:

1. Free dental therapy for all most cancers sufferers – with an exemption in the identical method as prescription prices;
2. Guarantee sufferers are suggested by their GP (who is generally the primary medical skilled to concentrate on the analysis) to go to their dentist previous to therapy beginning. I would love this data to incorporate a listing of dentists within the native space who:
3. Are keen to permit most cancers sufferers to affix their follow as an NHS affected person; and
4. Will give precedence to any therapy that could be required earlier than, throughout or for a interval after most cancers therapies cease.

I’ve talked about above the necessity for pre-treatment check-ups and therapy to be carried out however truly, the impact on enamel and gums after therapy could be devastating.  Additionally, with many sufferers being given Bisphosphonate remedy, there’s a danger (regardless that small) of osteonecrosis to the jaw, a uncommon however critical situation through which the cells within the jawbone begin to die.  I used to be by no means informed to go to my dentist earlier than having bisphosphonates OR warned of the danger of getting enamel extracted through the 3-year interval I used to be having that therapy.  I used to be by no means informed to inform my dentist of the therapy and truly, as a result of it was after chemotherapy and radiotherapy and was a “good to have” relatively than a “will need to have”, I didn’t connect an excessive amount of significance to it. 

Apparently, there are dentists who’re extra proactive and can be sure that they’re included with a most cancers affected person’s total well being and, for the reason that marketing campaign began, I’ve met Dr Mohsan Ahmad, Chair of the Larger Manchester Dental Community and was delighted that he’s already working a programme that goals to deal with the entire above (excluding the associated fee difficulty) which could be very encouraging – I might like to see his work prolonged nationwide.

My native MP, Kate Inexperienced, is totally on board with the marketing campaign and I’ve been inspired by how the dental neighborhood have reacted to it additionally. I hope that with over 105,000 signatures in beneath 2 weeks, the voice of the marketing campaign might be heard.  I nonetheless want extra signatures (and as many MPs on board as potential) and I’d prefer to ask you so as to add your signature to this necessary marketing campaign.

Assist free dental take care of most cancers sufferers at www.change.org/cancerdentalcare.  

If you wish to go a step additional, I might lastly prefer to ask you to contact your native MP to bolster help that might assist to get Parliament’s discover.  To cite Sara Hurley, the Chief Dental Officer for NHS England, “let’s put the mouth again into the physique”.