Up to 400 new cases of mouth and head cancer are detected in Ireland every year, and around 100 people die from it.

Dentist Conor McAlister says if mouth cancer is caught early, the survival rate is up to 86 per cent, but that drops to just 16 per cent if the cancer is found late.

He’s urging people to be aware of the warning signs of mouth cancer.Michael Farrell from Walkinstown in West Dublin went to have a free check up as part of this campaign two years ago, and was diagnosed with mouth cancer.