When was the last time you had an oral cancer screening? If you visit your dentist regularly, chances are you’ve had a screening recently. This means your dentist or hygienist checked all of these soft tissue areas: inside of your cheek and lips, all surfaces of your tongue, floor of your mouth, palate, lips, and throat. Basically any red or white spots, bumps and lumps that are out of the ordinary would be noted. Some offices use additional tools like the Vizilite Plus or the Velscope whenever they detect a suspicious lesion.
In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned that smoking is the number one risk factor for oral cancer. But that does not mean the rest of us non-smokers are in the clear. The American Cancer Society estimates that 25% of oral cancers occur in people who don’t smoke and have no other lifestyle factors. That means virtually everyone is at risk, including you.
In addition, human papilloma virus (HPV), the sexually transmitted infection commonly associated with most cervical cancer cases, has been linked to oral cancer.
The good news: Oral cancer is one of the most curable diseases when it is caught early, and your dentist could save your life through early detection of oral cancer. When premalignant or early stage oral cancer is found, the treatment is simpler, less invasive, and more likely to be successful.
So, I urge you to protect yourself: If you are not visiting your dentist regularly, then no one is checking the inside of your mouth. Have your dentist do a complete oral cancer screening during your dental checkups. Whether or not you consider your teeth and gums a priority, I’m sure you consider a healthier life to be a priority.
Thank you for reading. I encourage you to leave comments or questions below. To learn more about my practice, click on the link www.elitesacramentodentist.com
Your friendly dentist,
Dr. Sarah Po
Feb. 4, 2010
Sources:
ACS Cancer Facts & Figures 2006
Herrero, R et al. for the IARC Multicenter Oral Cancer Study Group. Human papillomavirus and oral cancer: the Internationl Agency for Research on Cancer multicenter study.
www.vizilite.com
