Due to the very nature of mouth cancer, it can often be difficult discussing the disease with patients. During Mouth Cancer Action Month, there’s an opportunity for every dental and health professional to speak out.
Whether it’s talking about the risk factors, educating members of the public about the disease or someone looking to find out more about the campaign, supporting mouth cancer awareness by wearing a Blue Ribbon badge has never been more important. This year, campaign organiser – the British Dental Health Foundation – is urging all staff at dental practices, dental companies, hospitals and pharmacies to wear a Blue Ribbon badge and support mouth cancer awareness as a team.
For every £1 donated to the campaign, the Foundation will send you a Blue Ribbon badge to wear, not just throughout the campaign, but all year round. Thanks to your support, 100,000 Blue Ribbon badges have been distributed in the past three years, raising funds to set up and maintain Mouth Cancer Action Month, create hundreds of media stories raising the awareness of mouth cancer and lobby government on anti-smoking legislation and oral screening programmes.
If you’d like to show your support as a team, you can also register your details for a Blue Ribbon Appeal kit at the campaign website. The Blue Ribbon Appeal kit contains 25 badges, a collection box, the A3 campaign poster and details of how to donate. Display the box on your reception desk and use it to engage patients and discuss mouth cancer, and remember to ask your boss for permission first.
Chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, said: ‘They might help to start a conversation out of the blue, but the Blue Ribbon Appeal continues to play a key role in directly engaging the public with the issues surrounding mouth cancer. Every little bit counts, and it all makes a difference in improving education and ultimately saving lives.
‘The profession remains at the forefront of the battle to reduce and catch mouth cancer cases early. Whether you show your support as an individual or an organisation, together we can reverse the growing number of cases we are witnessing.’
To donate £1 to the campaign and get a Blue Ribbon badge please visit the Justgiving page at www.justgiving.com/Blue-Ribbon-Appeal-Badges.
To claim your Blue Ribbon Appeal kit, please visit www.mouthcancer.org/page/blue-ribbon-appeal.
