Oral cancer screening: here’s information about this dental health care test.
Oral cancer screening: oral cancer is a serious disease, but one that your dental health care team can identify in its early stages.
According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, oral cancer is often preceded by a pre-malignant lesion that can be discovered and treated through a screening process. It usually takes between 2.5 to 8 years for that lesion to turn into cancer and, if it can be caught in that time frame, it is much more easily and successfully treated. People with advanced cases of oral cancer do not face encouraging cure rates.
What are risk factors that may cause a dental care professional to recommend a screening?
According to the National Cancer Institute, here are some risk factors for oral cancer:
- Men are somewhat more likely to develop oral cancer; the Oral Cancer Foundation puts the statistics at 60% male and 40% female.
- Oral cancer is somewhat less likely to occur in Caucasians
- Using tobacco and alcohol increases the risk of developing the disease
- People with HIV are more likely to develop oral cancer
Remember, though, that just because your doctor or dentist recommends this test, it does not mean that you have the disease. It is a screening intended to provide information to your medical or dental care professional so that they can give you the best dental care / health care possible - and negative results can give you peace of mind.
An oral cancer screening focuses on certain areas of the mouth.
High risk areas include the:
- Floor of the mouth
- Front and sides of your tongue
- Soft palate
Your dental health care professional is therefore likely to focus on these areas during the screening. It’s important to be proactive about your good health and having an oral cancer screening is a great way to do just that.