When it is caught early by your dentist or periodontist, oral cancer can be cured. In fact it is one of the most curable diseases when it is caught in early stages. In just a few minutes one time a year, people can now protect themselves. When found early, oral cancer treatment is 90 percent successful.
The American Cancer Society estimates that there is a 5.5 percent increase in new cases of oral cancer, along with a 1.5 percent more in deaths associated with oral cancer.
In case you are wondering if you might be at risk for oral cancer. And the answer is, yes, almost everyone is at risk. 25 percent of oral cancers occur in people who do not smoke and have no other lifestyle risk factors. High risk patients include people who are age 40 or older with lifestyle risk factors include tobacco use, chronic alcohol use of at least two ounces of alcohol three times per week and human papilloma virus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection prevalent in young adults. In other words, virtually anyone is at risk.
The good news is that dentists can now use new technology in the way of a dental screening, in combination with a conventional visual exam, to find out if you have oral cancer. Quick and painless, an annual oral exam is performed just after a regular visual examination by your dental professional. It can be part of a periodontics exam.
Dentists can use new products on the market like ViziLite Plus, a cancer screening technology. First the patient rinses with a cleaning solution, and then the dental professional examines the patient's mouth using ViziLite, which is a specially designed light technology. In case there's a lesion, it is marked with what is called a T-Blue blue dye, and then documented.
According to oral surgeons, it works. "I am now incorporating the new screenings with most of my at risk patients, said Dr. Bijan Afar, whi is a Los Angeles oral surgeon. "Specifically we can detect oral abnormalities such as premalignant lesions and oral cancer."
Today, there's no reason not to ask your own periodontist dentist about this simple, potentially life saving screening exam.
------
Kristin Gabriel is a social media marketing writer and PR professional. Her client, Dr. Bijan Afar, a Los Angeles dentist and oral surgeon, owns five dental clinics, including the Wilshire Dental Clinic. For more information, visit http://www.oralimplants.com