Hi I am John, I was diagnosed with SCC on my tongue in 2002 (age 43), I had a partial glossectomy (8x5x1mm) and I am now in the clear. I am a dentist and I am actively practising Orthodontics. I was a member of the OCF about 5-6 years ago, but I have been inactive since. Tobacco and alcohol as we know are two of the most common causes of oral cancers, but I never smoke or drink. The conclusion I had for my own case was that the tongue ulcer was caused by chronic irritation. I had 2 upper bicuspids extracted when I was a teenager and my upper jaw has constricted, thus, reducing the space for my tongue. Having researched many published papers from numerous Journals, there are only a handful of studies connecting tongue cancer to orthodontics. Having practised orthodontics for 10 years, I tend to observe clinical signs such as scalloped tongue, retroclined teeth (teeth erupting inwards towards the tongue), narrow upper and lower jaws, extracted teeth for orthodontic reasons (which may contribute to the narrowing jaws), dry mouth, among other things. It�s feasible that these tend to aggravate the tongue, which may eventually cause dysplasia. Furthermore, it appears that the the incidence of tongue cancers has increased among young people, who don�t smoke or drink, but may exhibit the clinical features described above. I welcome any feedback from members.
John

Welcome back to OCF, John. There is a small percentage of OC patients who have no known cause. From what I see among the OC patients here, I think less than 10% of all diagnosed have no known cause. This could be contributed to all kinds of things including as you mentioned mouth trauma. Unfortunately the recent increase in tongue cancers (base of tongue) among younger patients is due to the HPV virus. Sadly medical research is very expensive and OC is not one of the major cancers that gets the majority of funding. We can only hope thru the efforts of OCF spreading awareness along with funding research, and many determined individuals one day more will be known.

Hi, John. My cancer was caused by chronic irritation. Don't know what from but I had a sensitive mouth for decades, then a horrible lichen planus lesion which turned out to be cancer (tongue). I never smoked and gave up all alcohol at the age of 37. (I was diagnosed with oral cancer when I was about 60.) I meet very few people here with my pattern of irritation, inflammation, thrush and lichen planus. I also had very poor teeth, like many New Zealanders of my generation. I wish my dentists had been more knowledgeable about tongue cancer!

Me too... Had a molar that kept losing its filling. It was sharp - over time I ended up with a small callous on it. A dental surgeo removed it I had the tooth capped and over time I ended up with a tumor growing in my tongue. I have a small jaw and yes one of my teeth goes I on the to - cross bite?

Welcome.

Hello Alpaca,
Yes, we dentists have to be a lot more vigilant about tongue cancer, if in doubt refer to a Specialist or do a biopsy. I am currently doing a lot of research on the possible connection between narrow jaws and chronic irritation and will write a paper and I hope to create more awareness in the dental community.
Best wishes,
John

Hello Cheryl,
A cross bite certainly suggests a narrow upper arch. It is now an accepted finding that mouth breathing is the main cause of narrow upper arch, due to reduced airflow in the nasal cavities and lack of tongue contact on the roof of the mouth. Taking teeth out due to crowding is not the best option as it will only reduce the jaw size further.
Getting feedback from members such as yourself is very useful for my study into the possible link between narrow upper jaw and chronic irritation.
Thank you for your input.
Best wishes,
John

Thank you Christine for your feedback. Reading many stories in this forum makes me more determined than ever to spread the word to dentists to be more vigilant when they are treating their patients.
Best wishes,
John

Hi John and welcome back to OCF!

I'm in the unlucky 10% of those that get oral cancer for an unknown reason. I never smoked or used any tobacco products, moderate drinker (none now) and HPV-. My cancer was on my right lateral tongue (both times).

My doctors and dentists mentioned chronic irritation, but none of my teeth had any issues in that area. To be on the cautious side I had night guards made (upper one time and then a lower - or could have been the lower first) and also another appliance to wear during the day on my lower teeth to minimize any irritation to my tongue that could have been caused by a rough tooth. Some doctors suggested a genetic predisposition, but I do have a lot of blood relatives and very little cancer in the family (no oral cancer at all). So what caused mine is truly a mystery.

Since RT, I've had dental issues (4 loose lower front teeth) which required removal and had a 10-tooth bridge made as a replacement. I'm still having issues because now my bite is off and it has been difficult and sometimes very painful to eat. A few months ago I cracked a molar (upper left) because of my bite not aligning properly and had that tooth removed. I cannot chew on my right side, so that missing molar is a problem.

I have a consultation with an orthodontist later this month to see about getting braces for my upper teeth. I had consulted with a different orthodontist last year while in the process of getting the lower bridge made, but to be honest he was not at all helpful. I'm hoping the Invasilgn braces are an option as my month is still very sensitive and I believe regular metal braces would irritate it too much.

Over the years I have meet many oral cancer survivors, and the majority (80% or more) of them fall into the non-smoking, non-HPV category. So I am somewhat skeptical of the often quoted statistic that only 10% fall into the "unknown" category.

Hi John,

I find your posting and the replies fascinating. I have never before seen teeth problems as being a possible cause of mouth cancer.

I have really uneven teeth, with teeth seemingly larger than the space along my jaw. I had 2 front molars top and bottom removed as a child to make space but the remaining teeth have still been very crooked with overlapping teeth at the front. I think it might be genetic as my father actually had 2 rows of teeth at the front, top and bottom, presumably for the same reason. I probably should have had a brace but we moved and I never saw an orthodontist again.

Throughout my life, until the oral cancer surgery changed the shape of my tongue, I have had a constant problem with biting my tongue though chewing was OK until I foolishly let my left wisdom tooth be removed and then lost the 3 teeth on the right to the surgery.

I have never really understood how I got mouth cancer but it could quite possibly be a result of the uneven teeth.