This page presents oral cancer mortality statistics including by age and sex and trends over time.
In 2005 there were more than 1,700 deaths from oral cancer in the UK (Table 2.1).1-3
Oral cancer mortality rates are highest for Scottish men reflecting their high incidence rates.
The predominance of male over female deaths from oral cancer at the young and middle ages is shown clearly on Figure 2.1. 1-3
The overall age standardised mortality rate has remained fairly stable between 1971 and 2005 at around 3.5 and 1.4 per 100,000 for males and females respectively (Figure 2.2).1-3
As with the incidence trends, the all-ages oral cancer mortality figure masks the variation in age-specific trends seen in Figure 2.3. Mortality rates for men in their 70s and 80s have halved but for men in their 30s, 40s and 50s there has been a small but steady increase.