Does tobacco chewing cause oral cancer?

Ans. Tobacco is the main cause of oral cancer and often leads to death. It can be of any form; either smoking or smokeless i.e. chewing tobacco or snuffing it. Tobacco can cause many types of cancers including cancer of lungs, mouth, oesophagus, throat, larynx, liver, stomach, pancreas, cervix, even some forms of leukaemia. Chewing tobacco has increased risk of cancer of mouth (oral cavity). This includes cancer of cheek, lip and gums.

In tobacco more than 28 cancer-causing agents has been found. One of the main ingredients is nicotine. Nicotine is the main cause of oral cancer because it damages the outer lining of tissue cells inside the mouth.

Cancer caused by chewing tobacco often begins as leucoplakia, which is the whitish patch that develops inside the mouth and throat. Or it may develop as erythroplakia, which are red patches in the mouth. Sometimes it may lead to developed oral sub mucous fibrosis that is stiffness of the jaw. That means difficulty in opening the mouth fully. It is an early sign of developing cancer. Prolonged use of tobacco also damages your teeth and can cause stiffness in the jaw (Oral Submucous Fibrosis) which is one of the earliest signs of cancer