Oral Cancer Screening

The statistics tell the story~ 34,000 people a year are diagnosed with oral cancer, and 7,500 die from it. Just half of those diagnosed survive five years, according to the American Cancer Society.

A typical oral cancer is life-threatening, largely because it's detected too late. Many consumers are not aware of oral cancer, even though it causes twice as many deaths as cervical cancer.

The American Dental Association is urging peope to seek screening for oral cancer.

The cornerstone of oral-cancer detection isn't a device, it's a 5 minute exam that can be done during your regular dental checkup.

*Look and feel inside the lips and the front of the gums

*Tilt the head back to inspect and feel the roof of the mouth.

*Pull the cheeks out to see inside surfaces and back of the gums.

*Feel for lumps and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, including under the lower jaw.

Every dentist should do this on every patient every 6 months. About 10% of the patients have spots that need further investigation, but most turn out to not be cancer.

Oral cancers are strongly linked to smoking. People who smoke and drink heavily are at the highest risk. Chewing tobacco also may increase the risks. But about 25% of those diagnosed wih oral cancer don't use tobacco.