Volunteers reported feeling the emotion their expressions portrayed. In other words, facial expressions are not only a sign of an emotion but actually contribute to the feeling itself. Although people may pay little heed to their mouths except when something goes wrong, the importance of the mouth cannot be underestimated. Its condition provides clues to disease elsewhere in the body, and its posturings can affect a person's emotions so that just as the eyes are a window to the soul, so the mouth is a mirror of the body. Judy Folkenberg is a member of FDA's public affairs staff.
Oral cancer occurs on the lip, tongue, or floor of the mouth.
Smoking and drinking also increase the risk of oral cancer, but smokeless tobacco is of special concern because of its appeal to teenage boys. In a growing number of youthful circles, smokeless tobacco became a socially acceptable symbol of virility, machismo and coolness. By 1985, tobacco's opponents began striking back. In that year, Massachusetts became the first state to require warning labels on smokeless tobacco. Other states considered similar action.