April showers bring May flowers...and oral cancer screenings. I know what you're thinking. Is this a joke? Weird dental humor? All kidding aside, this is the time of the year when most of us start to take care of the things that we've put aside in the winter. A routine maintenance visit with your hygienist comes to mind... Some of you have already been in to visit us, have had an oral cancer screening performed as a routine service, and were provided news about oral cancer. But, many of you may have not heard the statistics lately. They are truly sobering numbers. But together, we can make a difference in these statistics.   

  To kick off the 14th year for Oral Cancer Awareness, The Oral Cancer Foundation released a statement this year on the status of oral cancer in the United States. We have been granted permission to reprint their information and were encouraged to share it with you.

March 18, 2013- Newport Beach, CA- The Oral Cancer Foundation

   What has the greatest impact on survival rates of oral cancer? Radiation? Chemotherapy? Perhaps surgery? The truth is none of these; rather, it is the point in time at which the disease is discovered. As the National Cancer Institute's SEER data clearly show, early discovery of oral cancer affects survival outcomes and reduces treatment-related morbidity more than anything else. And no one is better positioned to make early detection a reality than the dental community. Unfortunately, two-thirds of newly diagnosed individuals are found when the disease is at stage three or four. The good news: it does not have to be this way.

   To help draw attention to this situation, the Oral Cancer Foundation is sponsoring the 14th Annual Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April.... A public that understands the risk factors and early signs and symptoms of the disease are better prepared to recognize and self discover things that should take them to the doctor for further evaluation.

   "The dental community needs to be the first line of defense against oral cancer," said Brian Hill. "Just performing 'opportunistic' five-minute oral cancer screenings of the existing patient population that visits a dental office every day, could have a profound impact on our ability to discover the disease at earlier, even precancerous, stages. This could help us dramatically reduce the mortality morbidity of this disease."

   A national screening effort is imperative. The incidence of oral cancer is increasing at an alarming rate due to a new viral etiology, human papilloma virus (HPV-16). For decades, the leading cause of oral cancer had been tobacco, and most of the disease's victims were older males who had used tobacco for several decades of their life. Today however, young, non-smoking individuals are the fastest growing segment of the oral cancer population. Doctors in the scientific and treatment communities are already using the word "epidemic" to describe the situation. Oral cancer is not a rare disease. Each hour of every day, one American dies of the disease, and four more Americans are newly diagnosed. This disease can be defeated, but only with an informed public supported by involved and dedicated professionals.

   Oral cancer has always existed outside the consciousness of much of the public, even though 42,000 Americans will be newly diagnosed this year alone. In the early stages of oral cancer's development, often there is no pain or any physical sign that is obvious to an individual. This makes it a very dangerous disease, and is also the reason it is crucial to have an annual oral cancer screening by a professional.

   Oral cancer is one of the few cancers that are on the rise in the U.S. When found early, oral cancers have an 80% or better survival rate. Like other cancer screenings, such as those for cervical, skin, prostate, colon and breast cancer, oral cancer screenings can be an effective means of finding cancer at its earliest and most easily treatable stage. Of all these screenings, the one for oral cancer is the least invasive and time-consuming, is painless and inexpensive, and it can be done as part of a regular dental hygiene check-up.... (to check out the entire release please visit The Oral Cancer Foundation).

About the Oral Cancer Foundation

   The Oral Cancer Foundation, founded by oral cancer survivor Brian R. Hill, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public service charity that provides information, patient support, sponsorship of research, and advocacy related to this disease. Oral cancer is the largest group of those cancers that fall into the head and neck cancer category. Common names for it include such things as mouth cancer, tongue cancer, head and neck cancer, and throat cancer. It maintains a web site at http://www.oralcancer.org, which receives millions of hits per month. Supporting the foundation's goals is a scientific advisory board composed of leading cancer authorities from varied medical and dental specialties, and from prominent educational, treatment, and research institutions in the United States.

Contact: Brian Hill, The Oral Cancer Foundation (949) 646-8000

Email: info@oralcancerfoundation.org