Pharmacists are helping in the fight against mouth cancer by making people more aware of signs and symptoms to look out for.

Mouth cancer kills one person every five hours in the UK and as part of national Mouth Cancer Awareness Week, which runs all next week, the Bradford and Airedale Oral Health Promotion Teams have enlisted the help of local pharmacists to raise awareness of the disease.

In the UK there are 4,400 cases of mouth cancer diagnosed every year and almost half of these people will die from the disease, although with early detection survival chances increase significantly.

This includes knowing what signs to look out for such as unusual lumps or red or white patches in the mouth or an ulcer that hasn't healed after three weeks.

A fact sheet for pharmacy staff has been developed and there will be training sessions for pharmacists and pharmacy support staff to recognise early signs and symptoms of mouth cancer. Carron Paige, a dentist with the Bradford Oral Health Promotion Team, said: "People with a mouth ulcer or persistent mouth soreness often choose to visit the pharmacy before going to the dentist or doctor.

"This puts the pharmacists in an excellent position to sign post people to their doctor or dentist to get their symptoms checked out."

In addition, staff from the maxilo facial unit at St Luke's Hospital will be carrying out a screening for mouth cancer at the Ukranian Centre, Legrams Lane, Bradford, from 9.30am to 3pm on Monday.

Mouth cancer is most likely to affect people over 40 who smoke or chew tobacco, drink alcohol and have a poor diet.

Bradford mouth cancer expert Dr Vinod Joshi, a consultant in restorative dentistry at St Luke's Hospitals and a member of the Chief Dental Officer's advisory group on oral cancer and tobacco control, has worked hard to raise awareness of mouth cancer. He has backed calls from the British Dental Health Foundation to call for the Government to make a ban on smoking as part of its Health Improvement and Protection Bill and in line with the Telegraph & Argus Clear the Air Campaign. To learn more visit www.openuptomouthcancer.org.