Dental Checkups Are Not Just About Cavities
At Dental Care Today PC – E. Dale Behner DDS we encourage people to come in twice a year for a dental examination and cleaning. If you avoid biannual dental checkups because you don’t believe you have any tooth decay, perhaps getting an oral cancer screening is a more convincing reason to see your dentist regularly. (While your dentist is checking for oral cancer, we encourage you to have a thorough dental checkup as well!)
Oral Cancers Don’t Get as Much Attention
In the last few decades, lung and breast cancer has garnered a lot of public attention. There is relatively less awareness of oral cancer even though it claims almost 10,000 lives every year in the United States. If you smoke or have contracted HPV, you have a higher risk of developing oral cancer.
Early Diagnosis is Critical
At Dental Care Today PC – E. Dale Behner DDS, we work to elevate awareness of oral cancer and the importance of early diagnosis. Courtesy of the CDC, Oral Cancer Foundation, and Johns Hopkins Medicine, here are 5 vital things to know about oral (mouth) and oropharyngeal (back of mouth and throat) cancers.
1. About 80% of individuals with oral cancer use some variety of tobacco (cigarettes, chewing tobacco, pipes).
2. 40% of people who receive a late-stage diagnosis of oral cancer pass away within five years. The survival rate for early-stage diagnosis is 90%.
3. In many cases, it is hardly possible for the individual to detect oral and oropharyngeal cancers because they can produce unobtrusive symptoms or no symptoms at all. Any abnormality in the mouth or throat, even if small and painless, should be checked by a dentist or doctor.
4. HPV (the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S.) is the most common cause of oropharyngeal cancer. Of the copious strains of HPV, HPV16 is the one most frequently linked to oropharyngeal cancer.
5. Black males have a considerably higher risk of dying from oral cancer than whites.
An oral cancer check is easy!
A visual oral cancer exam is relatively quick and convenient, especially as compared to other cancer screening tests such as colonoscopies and mammograms. If an abnormality is discovered during an exam, the patient is referred to an appropriate specialist for further testing and diagnosis.
Sources:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/oral_health/oral_cancer_and_tobacco_85,P00900/
http://oralcancerfoundation.org/understanding/hpv/hpv-oral-cancer-facts/
https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/conditions/index.html
Contact Dental Care Today PC – E. Dale Behner DDS:
317-842-2337
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
9744 Lantern Rd
Fishers, Indiana
46037
