The dentist sounds the alarm: – In the worst case, it can have fatal consequences.

The general recommendation is that people should have a routine checkup at the dentist annually.

During the pandemic, however, dentists experience that many more people postpone or cancel this class.

This is a check few of us expect. At the same time, dentists emphasize how important it is to bite your teeth and find them.

– It’s incredibly important with a routine checkup. Most people think it’s just a matter of checking holes, but we actually look at a lot more than teeth, says dentist Kari Anne Systad of Smil Dental Center.

Serious consequences

Smil Tannlegesenter says they are seeing a big increase in the number of people who have postponed or canceled routine check-ups since March.

– It’s worrying. When verification fails, we fear it will lead to fewer people discovering oral cancer at an early stage, says Systad.

Oral cancer includes cancer of the tongue, lip, jaw, and mucous membranes of the oral cavity. According to the Cancer Registry, around 600 Norwegians get mouth and throat cancer every year.

Patients who come for treatment in the early stages often have a relatively good prognosis. However, it is crucial that the disease is detected early, if long-term survival is not reduced, according to the Oral and Throat Cancer Association. Every year, about 150 people die from the disease in Norway.

– It is relatively rare for me to treat people and discover cancer, but once it occurs, it can have serious and, in the worst case, fatal consequences, says Systad.

Difficult to detect

She says cell changes in the mouth can be difficult to detect.

– Changes in the oral cavity occur very gradually, so the body will not notice them. We are trained to detect oral cancer and many other things during a routine check-up, and therefore should be given a high priority, he says.

Symptoms can be, for example, a wound that won’t heal, a lump in the mouth, or false teeth that no longer fit.

– Very worried

Morten Harry Rolstad, Secretary General of the Danish Dental Association, confirms the same trend.

– People agree to the annual check form. There has been an increase in the number of people postponing or canceling hours, and preferably on short notice, he says.

You experience that most cancellations are due to people feeling slightly ill and thus choosing to stay home based on infection control. You are concerned that it will take too long to book a new class.

– We are very concerned that the check will be postponed too long. Some may wait a year or two before going to the dentist, but then there is a risk that it will be too long before new and possibly serious things are discovered. For everyone with special health problems, it is very important to go to the dentist regularly, says Rolstad.

Delay after shutdown

The dental health service is also struggling to catch up since services closed this spring.

– When the service was allowed to open, dentists had a lot to catch up on. Also, everything takes longer due to infection control. Fewer customers a day also means less churn, he says.

Public dental offices, serving children, youth, nursing home patients and drug addicts, are also experiencing a delay.

– For victims of torture and abuse and people with great anxiety about dental treatment, there are now extra long waiting lists. It is serious and important to return, he says.

Therefore, it emphasizes the importance of the public dental health service getting its share, when funding is allocated to counties so that they can work to reduce queues.

Oral cancer is on the rise

The Norwegian Cancer Society also notes that a visit to the dentist is crucial for detecting oral cancer.

– They are often the first to discover signs of cancer in the oral cavity during a routine examination. We are concerned if fewer people turn out to go to the dentist now during the corona pandemic, says Secretary General Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross.

She says that like other cancers, the number affected is increasing every year.

– There are twice as many men as women who are affected and, as with other cancers, we also see an increase here, he says.

Expensive

Although the reason why routine check-ups are not performed in many cases may be because people feel slightly ill, the dentist believes that some may also be concerned about the possibility of getting infected at the dentist.

– Is it safe to visit the dentist during the crown period?

– Yes. Very strict hygiene routines already exist in a dental clinic, and we have further strengthened them to ensure a safe environment for you as a patient, as well as for employees, says Systad.

He is also concerned that bad finances may be one of the reasons why people don’t go to the dentist.

– Several have lost their jobs or been laid off under the crown, so perhaps more people experience that the economy is not enough. It’s incredibly sad that you have to go beyond people’s health when they don’t have good advice, he says.

Systad believes that dental treatment should be based on deductibles, consistent with other health services.

– It can be very painful with toothache, but it is also incredibly difficult for mental people who have a decaying oral cavity. “I have talked to several people who are so upset about bad teeth that they have stopped smiling,” he says.