Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer screening can be performed by your local dentist in order to identify signs of cancer or precancerous conditions in your mouth. By identifying signs of oral cancer growth early, it increases your chances of curing the disease. A general check-up and scale-and-clean provides your dentist with the opportunity to look for signs of oral cancer growth. Additional tests can be used to identify areas of the mouth where cells are growing abnormally. While no oral cancer screening is proven to reduce your risks of dying from oral cancer, your dentist and you may decide that it’s the best course of action depending on risk factors in your lifestyle.
Oral Cancer Risk Factors
First and foremost, people with previous oral cancer conditions are at risk of developing secondary instances of oral cancer growth. Other lifestyle factors which can increase the chance you will develop oral cancer include tobacco use of any kind, heavy alcohol use and a history of significant sun exposure (which increases the risk of lip cancer).
A rising number of people have been diagnosed with oral cancer each year. The reasons for this are unknown. However, a larger number of cases each year are associated with contraction of the sexually-transmitted disease, human papillomavirus (HPV).
Limits of Oral Cancer Screenings
While catching a cancerous growth early can increase your chances of beating the disease, oral cancer screenings are limited by several factors. These include:
- Screening leading to further tests – analysis of sores in the mouth will require testing by an endocrinologist using a biopsy. A dentist can only identify the presence of the sores in the mouth, not whether they are cancerous or not.
- Oral cancer screening can’t detect all mouth cancers – it’s difficult to detect areas of the mouth that are seeing abnormal cell growth via visual inspection. It’s possible that small cancerous lesions go undetected.
- Oral cancer hasn’t been proven to save lives – There’s no evidence that routine oral examinations to look for signs of oral cancer can reduce the number of deaths caused by oral cancer. However, screening for oral cancer may help find cancers early — when cure is more likely.
What You Can Expect During A Screening
A dentist will visually inspect the inside of your mouth: looking for red or white patches or sores that indicate abnormal cell growth. The dentist will also wear gloves to physically inspect the inside of your mouth, your throat and neck for lumps.
What Comes After An Oral Cancer Screening?
If your dentist discovers any areas of the mouth they believe are affected by cancerous or precancerous lesions, he or she may recommend either a follow-up visit in a few weeks to see how the abnormal area has changed or a biopsy procedure that involves taking cells from inside the mouth and determining whether cancer cells are present.
Contact Campsie Laser Dental Today
Contact Campsie Laser Dental on 02 9789 6219 to book an appointment for an oral cancer screening. We are open for business Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 6:00pm, and Saturday 9:00am to 4:00pm