Oral Cancer Screening

Preventing Oral Cancer A Common, Quiet Type of Cancer

Oral cancer has been found in dozens of thousands of people annually, oftentimes in advanced stages, because it gets ignored. However, the condition can be easily identified and diagnosed well before it develops into a serious, critical condition. This happens through regular oral cancer screening with today’s dental technology.

Cancer is a common type of sickness that starts to show up as people get older. However, oral cancer affects well over 56,000 people annually, usually because the condition develops without treatment or is ignored due to avoiding the dentist. Of that number, some 13,500 are eventually killed by the same condition because it develops to critical level and becomes fatal for the person in general. More notably, oral cancer rates tend to be double in men versus women. And young people are not immune to developing oral cancer. Most cases tend to be in people’s early 60s, but at least 25 percent of cases are under the age of 55. And there have been cases involving children as well.

The two types of oral cancer, oropharyngeal cancer and oral cavity, tend to make themselves known around the gums, the bottom of the mouth and around the back throat area. Additionally, it’s possible to develop cancer on the tongue, lips and tonsils. Regular exposure to chemicals such as tobacco has been directly linked to cases, such as chewing tobacco on the lips and tongue.

Why Oral Screening Makes Such a Difference

Types of risk factors for oral cancer are multiple and oftentimes associated with regular behavior that people already know might not be good for them. In other cases, oral cancer can be triggered by the spread of viruses or immune system weaknesses. Common factors include:

Too much sun exposure – ultraviolet light has long been a culprit for triggering cancer, usually associated with skin conditions. However, sun exposure combined with a poor diet can also trigger cancer on the lips.
Tobacco – As mentioned earlier, the large majority of oral cancer cases involve either smoking tobacco or chewing it, creating a direct toxic exposure to the mouth area.
Drinking Alcohol – Those who regularly drink liquor are prone to developing oral cancer; up to two thirds of cases have a relationship with chronic drinking. Combined with tobacco, the risk goes up exponentially.
Virus infection – The human papillomavirus or HPV can be spread through human contact. Known traditionally as a cause of cervical cancer, it can also be transmitted to the mouth and trigger oral cancer.
Side effects of immune system weakening – oral cancer has been found to be a downstream result of medications design to suppress the immune system, especially in cases of organ transplants and similar.

A Better Look at Oral Cancer With ViziLite® Plus

Every visit at Paradise Ridge Family Dentistry involving an exam will include screening for oral cancer as standard practice. That said, it’s a lower level approach versus what’s possible with an advanced ViziLite ® TBlue screening. What can be missed by the naked eye of a normal mouth evaluation can be identified with the ViziLite ® TBlue system, narrowing down true cancer growth versus false positives. The actual application only takes a handful of minutes and is disposable. So, there is only a one-use approach per patient with very accurate results and identification if it applies. This is the difference patients realize in their care at Paradise Ridge Family Dentistry. Don’t wait for oral cancer to catch up with you; nip it in the bud before it becomes a serious problem.