A PRESTWICH dental practice is raising awareness of mouth cancer, a disease which claims 1,700 lives each year.

Anthony Jacobs and Stephen Lazarus, who run the Jacobs and Lazarus practice in Bury Old Road, are displaying posters as part of their support for Denplans Conversation Killer awareness campaign. It is being run to coincide with Mouth Cancer Awareness Week, which starts on Sunday.

Dr Jacobs said: "People must be made more aware of mouth cancer because too few people know about it or that the main causes are smoking and drinking. People should realise that dentists are specifically trained to pick up symptoms of mouth cancer so regular visits to the dentist are most important."