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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Can smoking cause oral cancer?

    Related Topics
    Cancer Head & Neck cancers Oral Cancer
    As a longterm smoker, my wife often warns me about the longterm consequences of such behaviour. I am aware that I am at risk for lung cancer and emphysema… but is oral cancer another disease that can be caused by smoking?
    • 2 answers
    • A/Prof Daniel Novakovic
    • Dr Paul Coceancig
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  • A/Prof Daniel Novakovic

    Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon

    Dr Daniel Novakovic is an Australian Otolaryngologist (ENT Surgeon) with postgraduate international dual subspecialty fellowship training in the fields of Laryngology and Head and Neck … View Profile

    Oral cancer is by far the most common site of primary cancer in the upper aerodigestive tract of the head and neck.

    Tobacco is the leading risk factor for oral cancer. This not only includes smoking cigarettes but also cigars and chewing tobacco. Furthermore other oral irritants such as betel nut chewing can also increase your risk of oral cancer

    Alcohol is another important risk factor and the combination of alchol and cigarettes increases the risk by 15 times that of others.

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  • Dr Paul Coceancig

    Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

    I am a specialist oral & maxillofacial surgeon based in Sydney and Newcastle, Australia. I graduated in medicine from the University of Otago, and in … View Profile

    Smoking is associated with almost all types of cancer. Whilst it is not absolutely clear how smoking causes cancer, and why some cancers never develop in some smokers, the link between cancer and smoking is an undisputed one.

    Likewise oral cancer and smoking have a strong association. In fact oral cancer almost never occurs in people who do not or have ever smoked.

    What we also know is that not all people who smoke develop oral cancer. This is because there are co-factors to smoking which increase the chances of developing oral cancer. These co-factors include genetics, betel-nut chewing (with lime), poor social circumstances, oral warts, alcoholism, chronic gum infection, chronic traumatic irritation, and possibly other things too which we haven't discovered yet.

    There are two great preventers to getting oral cancer though. The first is DON'T SMOKE. The second is HAVE REGULAR DENTAL CHECK UPS.

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