Asda has partnered with the NHS to put mouth cancer symptoms on millions of toothpaste tubes and mouthwash bottles.

From this month, the supermarket giant’s own-brand oral hygiene products will now feature NHS advice in over 500 stores across the country in a bid to encourage people to contact their GP or dentist if they notice any potential symptoms.

The guidance will be clearly displayed on the packaging, along with a link to more detailed information about mouth and throat cancer on the NHS website.

The aim of the partnership is to raise awareness of symptoms that could indicate cancer, such as an ulcer that lasts for three weeks or more, a white or red patch in the mouth that does not heal within three weeks, a lump or swelling in the mouth, jaw or neck that lasts more than three weeks, and difficulty swallowing, chewing, or moving the jaw and tongue.

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Numbness in the tongue or other areas of the mouth, a sensation of something being stuck in the throat, a chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists for more than six weeks, and unexplained loosening of teeth can also be possible signs of cancer.

NHS England national clinical director for cancer professor Peter Johnson said: “Early detection of mouth cancer can help save lives and this fantastic new partnership with Asda will be vital in raising awareness of the signs and in supporting the NHS’s ambition to diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage.

“By placing health messaging on products like toothpaste tubes and mouthwash bottles that people use every day, we’re encouraging people to be vigilant about potential symptoms of mouth cancer and to get checked early.”

Asda vice president for commercial strategy, operations and own-brand Sam Dickson added: “Asda sells over two million of these everyday items each year, so making this small change to our packaging means we can make a big difference in encouraging shoppers to be more aware and to highlight what they should do if they find any new or unexplained changes.”

It follows a similar move last year when Morrisons partnered with the NHS to put advice on underwear labels, urging people to contact their GP practice if they spot potential symptoms of breast or testicular cancer.

In 2022, supermarkets including Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Waitrose and M&S joined Bowel Cancer UK’s ‘#GetOnARoll’ campaign, and added signs of bowel cancer to own-brand toilet roll packaging to inform the UK public on the symptoms of the second biggest cancer killer.