Increasing numbers of young people are being hit by mouth cancer, sparking new warnings about the disease.

    Mouth cancer was once considered to mostly affect older men, but it is now becoming more common in younger people and women.

    It is possible that binge-drinking and smoking could be helping to fuel rising rates of the disease as these are key risk factors.

    Now the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) is warning people of all ages that they need to start checking their mouths regularly if rising rates of mouth cancer are to be stopped.

    The ratio of women to men suffering mouth cancer has grown by a third in the last 10 years, although men are still twice as likely to develop the disease.

    Mouth cancer is sometimes called oral cancer and can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat.

    Every year in the UK, there are 4,300 new cases diagnosed and 1,700 deaths.

    The most common causes of mouth cancer are smoking and drinking alcohol to excess - people who do both are up to 30 times more likely to develop the condition than those who do not.

    Having a poor diet is also linked to the disease.

    But the BDHF said about 25% of mouth cancer cases in younger people involved none of these common risk factors. The foundation said this meant it was vital people learnt to be aware of the possible symptoms, even if they led a healthy lifestyle.

由于现在越来越多的年轻人患上了口腔癌，因此，英国有关医学专家近日针对这种现象特意向人们提出了预防警告。

    据《每日邮报》9月25日报道，英国医学界过去一度认为那些年纪大一些的人更容易患口腔癌，但从目前情况来看，该病在年轻人中正呈现出与日俱增的发展趋势。医生们经研究认为，年轻人过度饮酒和吸烟可能是导致口腔癌在该群体中发病率节节上升的两个"帮凶"。英国口腔卫生基金会最近向年轻人发出警告说，如果想要遏制口腔癌不断攀升的发病率，那么他们就必须立即开始对自己的口腔进行定期检查。

    口腔癌的发病部位包括嘴唇、舌头、面颊和喉咙。在英国，每年有4300人被确诊患上了口腔癌，而每年死于该病的人数则为1700人。英国口腔卫生基金会认为，人们日常生活中需要对该病有一定了解，养成良好的生活方式，这样才能保持口腔健康。