How to Prevent Oral Cancer or Detect it at an Early Stage

There has been, in the dental medical profession, disagreement on how and who to screen oral cancer among patients and where to offer referral management services.

This has in turn led to late diagnoses therefore hindering progressive early detection mechanisms that consequently lead to a set up of efficient preventive measures.

Oral cancer, as a result of this late diagnosis, is associated with high numbers of death and morbidity and therefore the question that begs is; how do we detect it early and in the process prevent the malignancy? How do we bridge the gap?

Detection

The process of detection of oral cancer has had varied approaches over the years. We are therefore going to check some of these processes.

* Visual examination
This is dependant on dental medical practioners ability to use light to check if there are any lesions that indicate the presence of the cancer. But because the tumor was always at the deepest layer, called the basal cell layer it resulted in often poor prognosis.

* Brush cytology
This is yet another screening tool to detect the cancer, although it also falls short of reaching up to the deepest layer. The good news, however, about cytology is that it has considerably reduced the number of fatalities as detection successes were made after its use.

* Oral brush Biopsy
This is an advanced tool for screening as it safely manages to screen successfully all the layers from the superficial to intermediary to lastly basal layers and examine the tissues therein. It is painless and produces no bleeding.

* Velscope
This is a screening machine that produces a bright blue light emphasizing the changes on the mouth, lips or throat where oral cancer is prevalent. Velscope has also been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As medical research advances, other more consistent and efficient are bound to come up, but, the use of screening and early detection still remains are necessity as most lives are lost due to late prognoses of a highly curable disease.

Prevention.
Research shows that in America alone one life is lost every hour of every single day from oral cancer. Although late detection is largely to blame, prevention has always been, and will always be better than cure.

Signs and symptoms.
But, before we check on the preventive measures, it is important to note the signs and symptoms of oral cancer. Unfortunately in the malignancy early stages it is difficult to notice it. It could in most instances look like an ulcer, cold sore or a discoloration of tissue and therefore any suspicion of a lesion on mouth, lipsor any slight discomfort should give you a reason to see a doctor, especially if doest heal within two weeks.

* Stop tobacco.
About a whooping 75% of those found with oral cancer were found to be tobacco users. Stopping the sniffing or any other use of tobacco is therefore a way to beat the disease.

* Moderate on alcohol use.
Coupled with tobacco use is heavy alcohol abuse. Moderation in this regard is another way of preventing the cancer. Know that tobacco users who are also heavy drinkers are 15% more at risk of getting the disease than their moderate counterparts.

* Develop good dental hygiene
Basically brush teeth and gums regularly.