Every year there is 400,000 new cases of oral cancer are reported worldwide. In the United States there are 41,000 cases of the cancer with over 10,000 deaths per year. Only half of the people diagnosed will still be alive in 5 years. With over 10,000 deaths this cancer will cause the death of roughly 1 person per hour, 24 hours a day. The Oral Cancer Foundation has issued a warning that oral cancer is usually hard to diagnose because when it is in its early stages it tends to go unnoticed by patients. Thankfully, in a study done in the Fall of 2008 in an issue of General Dentistry, a clinical, peer-reviewed journal from the Academy of General Dentistry, there is a device that top dentists may use to detect the presence of damaged and cancerous tissue. This device, the VELscope, emits a bright indigo light into the oral cavity during routine examinations to help your dentist identify any potential damage.

How Does VELscope Work?

When emitting a specific wavelength of light into the mouth of the patient an oral fluorescence occurs which then causes the oral tissue to emit its own light back. The VELscope’s blue light excites the oral tissue cells causing healthy cells to fluoresce back, appearing in a greenish color, while unhealthy cells remain dark against the surrounding green tissue.

Once Oral Cancer is Detected and How to Prevent Oral Cancer

Surgery can remove any cancerous lesions that appear in the mouth, but when found at a later stage the surgery may be very extensive. The best dentists in America all agree that the best way to minimize the extent of a surgical procedure to remove the disease is with early detection. To help prevent and detect this dangerous disease early on you must make sure to keep up with your regular dental check up, ask your doctor about performing oral screening tests (most dentists to provide this option and often times patients receive them but do not realize it), avoid the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, take notice of any abnormal growths, tenderness, discoloration or bleeding in your mouth, and disclose all medical history to your dentist, including any STDs you have contracted.

Once Oral Cancer is Detected and How to Prevent Oral Cancer

If you feel that your dentist isn’t giving you a full oral cancer screening than it is imperative you find a dentist who will. While all dentists are capable of providing their patients with a full oral screening examination each dentist does so in their own way, and that might not be the best treatment for you. Talk to your dentist, because an early diagnosis will save your life.