Oral cancer is a devastating disease. More than eight thousand American lives are claimed by oral cancer and only a quarter of these patients do not drink excessive alcohol or smoke tobacco, which are the two leading causes of oral cancer (The Oral Cancer Foundation). Oral cancer survival rates could be much higher if people took precautionary measures to reduce their chances of being diagnosed with oral cancer. When alcohol and tobacco consumption decreases, the risk of developing oral cancer also decreases. By visiting the dentist at least once a year, new lesions may be discovered. Unfortunately, only seven percent of the population, who regularly visit the dentist, receive a thorough examination for oral cancer (The Oral Cancer Foundation). It is therefore important that the patient requests oral cancer screening if they have not done so. Many resources are available for patients diagnosed with oral cancer. Once cancer is treated, many and varied specialists will help with the transition to daily life. Prevention is a key element to a healthy, cancer-free mouth. Men between the ages of twenty-five and forty-four make up the largest percentage of oral cancer patients. In 2009, the percentage of adults who smoked, by gender, was 23.5% of adult men and 17.9% of adult women (Adult Smoking). Tobacco chewing became popular in the 17th century, when the Spanish brought tobacco back from their explorations of the New World. Today, it has become a global epidemic (Silverman 16). Tobacco is responsible for one in five deaths in the United States each year (adult smoking). David Silverman and colleagues estimated that by 2020, 8.4 million people will die each year from tobacco...... middle of article ......cco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data /cig_smoking/index.htm#national >.Cutter, Mary Ann, Jenny Sigstedt and Vickie Venne. National Cancer Society. National Institutes of Health, 1999. Web. .Key enzyme that affects radiation response identified. University Health Network. ScienceDaily January 27, 2011. February 6, 2011. NCI Mission Statement. The National Cancer Institute, nd Web. February 6, 2011. .Silverman, Sol Jr. Atlas of Clinical Oncology: Oral Cancer. 5th ed. Ed. Gansler, Ted S. London: BC Decker Inc, 2003. (cite pages 8-26) The Oral Cancer Foundation. The Oral Cancer Foundation, 2010. Web. October 23. 2010. .