More and more dentists across Australia are seeing cases of oral cancer in patients who have brought the practice of betel quid chewing with them from their homeland, a practice which has the potential to affect thousands of migrants and new Australian populations.
For World Cancer Day, 4 February, dentists are asking many new and immigrant Australians to stop the highly addictive habit that could cost them their life.
Betel quid chewing is regularly practised by 600 million people worldwide as a breath freshener, appetite suppressant and to induce euphoria in users from a range of countries including India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Taiwan and Myanmar. Through immigration, the use of betel quid has spread globally including to Australia in the last two decades.
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