Mouth Cancer Action Month takes place throughout November to raise awareness of mouth cancer and highlight the importance of being “mouthaware”.

The campaign focuses on informing people on how to spot the signs of mouth cancer, along with the risk factors and how to reduce them in daily life.

According to the NHS:

“Last year, around 10,000 people in the UK were given the life-changing news that they have mouth cancer. These numbers continue to rise while the disease claims more lives than cervical and testicular cancer combined.

“The more we know about mouth cancer, the better chance we have of beating it. This means knowing how to spot mouth cancer early and knowing where to go when we see something out of the ordinary. It also means reducing our risk by cutting down on the things that cause mouth cancer.”

For Mouth Cancer Action Month 2025, campaign organiser the Oral Health Foundation has launched new resources and materials, which can be downloaded from the Foundation website.

Locally, NHS Forth Valley delivers a number of oral health programmes, Smile4Life training, and offers access to free dental packs and oral health information resources. To view and order free oral health resources, please visit NHS Forth Valley’s resources library, Health Improvement Resources Service (HIRS), or contact the dedicated Falkirk Health Improvement Service by email: fv.smile4life@nhs.scot

Alternatively, for further information on the Smile4Life training available, view the Falkirk Health Improvement Training Brochure (linked for your convenience); the virtual training information is available on page 3, while the in-person training details are available on page 4.