Philip Lewis, dentist and past president of the Mouth Cancer Foundation, has been awarded an MBE for his services to oral cancer in the King’s Birthday’s Honours List.
Through Dr Lewis’ work as a dentist and being involved with the Mouth Cancer Foundation since the charity’s inception 20 years ago, he has been dedicated to raising awareness, educating and promoting the early detection of mouth cancer as well as supporting those affected by it.
On receiving the award, Dr Lewis said: ‘This award is in recognition of over 30 years of campaigning to raise awareness of all head and neck cancers and encourage the dental profession to carry out thorough oral cancer checks on all patients at annual routine appointments.
‘As a trustee and past president of the Mouth Cancer Foundation I have also been involved in devising a self-check which the general public can carry out on themselves.’
‘Amazing legacy’
During his time as president of the Mouth Cancer Foundation, Dr Lewis grew the charity, which continues to go from strength to strength with patients, carers and survivors at the heart of all activities, the charity has said.
A large part of the Mouth Cancer Foundation’s remit today is also educating dental and medical professionals on the early detection of head and neck cancers. The charity also stated that Dr Philip Lewis and founder Dr Joshi have ‘certainly created an amazing legacy’.
Lewis continues: ‘We have come a long way since I very first started raising awareness of head and neck cancers.
‘Dentists took some convincing to carry out checks on patients and often members of the public were unaware cancer existed in the mouth until someone close to them was diagnosed.
‘When I used to lecture many years ago, I would be talking to a handful of people. Now my lectures are packed out with the profession wanting to learn as much as possible about oral cancer.
‘So, progress is being made.’
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