The results of a new survey have suggested that Brits are poorly educated when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and its link to oral cancer.
The survey, which questioned more than 2,000 adults as part of November being Mouth Cancer Action Month, found that almost two-thirds (63%) did not know HPV was connected to oral sex, while 1 in 10 falsely believed diseases such as syphilis (11%) and chlamydia (10.5%) were connected with oral cancer.
Only 1 in 4 respondents (27.8%) was able to identify HPV as a cause of oral cancer, while almost half (45%) were unaware the sexually transmitted disease was contracted through unprotected sex.
Although knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases as a whole has improved over the years, awareness of HPV still falls short, according to Dr. Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation.
Cases of mouth cancer have doubled in the last 30 years, coinciding with the rise of HPV, and strengthen the argument that there is not enough awareness of the risks individuals take when they have sex, Dr. Carter noted.
In the U.K., approximately 1 in 5 mouth cancer cases are predicted to be the result of HPV infection.
