Patient Education
Oral cancer exam video - Velscope
Growing number of dentists agreed on the trend that stresses the importance of overall oral health – not only health of teeth and gums, but of all the soft tissues in the oral cavity and oropharynx.
Oral Cancer
When found at early stages of development, oral cancers have a 80 to 90% survival rate. Unfortunately the majority of oral cancer cases are found as late-stage cancers, accounting for the high death rate of about 45% at five years from diagnosis, and high treatment related morbidity in survivors.
- Found early, while still localized, oral cancer's five-year survival rate is strong: about 83%. Only 33% of all oral cancer discoveries fall into this category.
- Found while Regional (after progressed to regional lymph nodes), the five-year survival rate drops significantly, to about 55%. Approximately 46% of all oral cancer discoveries are Regional.
- Found late, oral cancer's five-year survival rate is poor: approximately 32%. This accounts for approximately 14% of all oral cancer findings.
Clearly, finding oral cancer in its early stages is key to survival. Routine dental exam with or without VELscope Vx examinations can improve the morbidity and mortality of oral-cancer.
Oral Cancer Exam
Many dental oral pathologist dental experts now recommend that all adult patients over the age of 18 receive a thorough intra- and extra-oral head and neck exam annually.
