{"id":17914,"date":"2026-04-07T09:29:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=17914"},"modified":"2026-04-07T09:29:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T13:29:50","slug":"the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-stresses-importance-of-oral-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-stresses-importance-of-oral-health\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Stresses Importance of Oral Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>April 7, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Dr. Zelalem Attlee, <a href=\"mailto:Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov\">Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Stresses Importance of Oral Health<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month<\/em><\/p>\n<p>WARRENTON, Va. \u2013 This April, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District reminds every adult to get screened for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/oral-health\/about\/about-oral-cancer.html\">oral cancer<\/a>. Like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cancer\/prevention\/screening.html\">other cancer screenings<\/a>, oral cancer screenings are an effective means of finding cancer at its early, highly curable stages. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/types\/oral-cavity-and-oropharyngeal-cancer\/detection-diagnosis-staging.html\">Early detection<\/a> is the first step toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/types\/head-and-neck\/patient\/adult\/lip-mouth-treatment-pdq\">a successful treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOral health is a vital part of overall health and well-being,\u201d said Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Director J. Carr, M.D. \u201cDuring Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we encourage our community to prioritize regular screenings, early detection, and preventive care. Together, we can reduce the burden of oral disease and improve health outcomes across our district.\u201d<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The use of tobacco and alcohol is a leading cause of oral cancer because it leads to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cancer\/prevention\/screening.html\">damage of the DNA<\/a> of cells inside your mouth and throat. Another cause is through exposure to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cancer\/hpv\/oropharyngeal-cancer.html\">human papillomavirus virus (HPV)<\/a>. The quickest growing segment of the oral cancer population is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nidcr.nih.gov\/grants-funding\/funded-research\/research-investments-advances\/hpv-oropharyngeal-cancer\">young, healthy, non-smokers<\/a> due to the connection to this HPV.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mouthcancerfoundation.org\/self-examination\/\">Self-examinations<\/a>\u00a0can also help detect oral cancer. Consult a healthcare provider if you find any of the following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/oral-cancer-rack-card-9-10-25.pdf\">conditions<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A sore on your lip or in your mouth that doesn\u2019t heal.<\/li>\n<li>Unusual bleeding, pain or numbness in your mouth.<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty or pain when chewing or swallowing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To help prevent oral cancer, The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District suggests these steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Limit Alcohol Use<\/strong>: Limiting your intake to no more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aicr.org\/cancer-prevention\/recommendations\/limit-alcohol-consumption\/\">two drinks<\/a> a day for men and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aicr.org\/cancer-prevention\/recommendations\/limit-alcohol-consumption\/\">one drink<\/a> a day for women can lower your risk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid Tobacco<\/strong>: Never using or <a href=\"https:\/\/quitnowvirginia.org\/\">quitting tobacco<\/a>, to include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, and\/or pipes, reduces your risk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid HPV Infection: <\/strong>Talk to your healthcare provider about the HPV vaccination. The vaccine can prevent new infections of certain types of HPV associated with oral cancer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eat Healthy: <\/strong>Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables in your diet. These foods contain essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help protect cells from damage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get Regular Checkups: <\/strong>Visit your healthcare provider and dentist regularly. The earlier oral cancer is found, the greater your chances of beating it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/oral-health\/\">Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Dental Health Program<\/a> is designed to improve equitable access to dental care and public health interventions through community-based prevention programs.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about the Dental Health Program at VDH, contact the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rrhd.org\">www.rrhd.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>April 7, 2026 Media Contact: Dr. Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov. The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Stresses Importance of Oral Health April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month WARRENTON, Va. \u2013 This April, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District reminds every adult to get screened for oral cancer. Like other cancer screenings, oral cancer screenings are an effective means of finding [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[348,1633,1632],"class_list":["post-17914","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-hpv","tag-oral-cancewr","tag-oral-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Stresses Importance of Oral Health - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/the-rappahannock-rapidan-health-district-stresses-importance-of-oral-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Stresses Importance of Oral Health - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"April 7, 2026 Media Contact: Dr. Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov. 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