Oral Cancer Screening: Purpose, Procedure, and Risk

Oral cancer screenings are exams performed by your dentist or a doctor to identify symptoms of oral cancer or precancerous lesions in your mouth. The screenings aim to identify oral cancer early when the chances of a successful cure are higher.

You may receive oral cancer screenings near you from the dentist you frequent for routine exams and cleanings during your six-monthly visits. Your dentist might also use additional tests to help identify areas of abnormal cells in your mouth.

Medical organizations are not united on whether oral cancer screening is needed for healthy people without the risk factors of this devastating condition. This is because no screening or oral exam has been proven to reduce the risk of fatalities from oral cancer. However, you and your dentist can decide whether you need an oral exam or a particular test after considering your risk factors.

Purpose of Oral Cancer Screenings

Oral cancer screenings in Newton falls, OH, aim to identify mouth cancer or precancerous lesions that might result in cancer early when they are easy to remove and treat for successful outcomes. Unfortunately, studies haven’t proven that these screenings help save people’s lives. As a result, some groups recommend screening while others claim sufficient evidence isn’t available to recommend these exams.

The most significant beneficiaries of oral cancer screenings are people at high risk of this problem. Factors that increase the risk of oral cancer include tobacco use in various forms, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and snuff, excessive alcohol use, only cancer diagnosis earlier, and history of sunlight exposure that increases the risk of lip cancer.

The number of people diagnosed with oral cancer has increased over the last several years without providing any apparent reasons. An increasing number of these cancers are associated with the STD HPV (human papillomavirus). Therefore if you are concerned about your risks of oral cancer, discuss the issue with your dentist and inquire about ways to inhibit your chances while asking about screening tests that might suit you.

The procedure of Oral Cancer Screenings

When receiving an oral cancer screening from a dentist near me, expect the professional to look over the inside of your mouth, checking for red-and-white patches or mouth sores. When checking for lumps and other abnormalities, the dentist will use gloved hands to feel your mouth issues. They will also examine your neck and throat for lumps.

Your dentist may use special tests besides the visual exam when screening for oral cancer. For example, the dentist will look at all parts of your oral cavity besides your teeth and gums, making you wonder what they are trying to identify. If they recommend additional tests, they include rinsing your mouth with a unique blue dye before an exam to make the abnormal cells appear blue or shining a special light in your mouth during the exam. The light makes healthy tissue appear darkened and irregular tissue white.

Suppose the professional detects abnormal tissue and signs of mouth cancer or precancerous lesions. They will recommend a follow-up visit in a few weeks to determine whether the abnormal area has expanded or changed over time. They might also refer you to a pathologist for a biopsy to remove samples of cells from your mouth for lab testing to determine whether cancer cells are present.

Dentists don’t treat oral cancer and refer you to an oncologist, a specialist with training and the infrastructure to treat patients with cancer of all kinds. Therefore dentists merely identify signs of cancer in your mouth in the early stages to suggest seeing a specialist for additional treatment if you are affected by this problem.

Risks of Oral Cancer Screening

Oral cancer screenings and exams have limitations. They are:

The Screenings May Require Additional Tests: Sores are present in most people’s mouths, with a significant majority of them being noncancerous. Unfortunately, oral cancer screening doesn’t help determine which sores are cancerous and which aren’t.

The Screening Doesn’t Detect All Cancers: All mouth cancer isn’t detected by oral cancer screening because it is challenging to identify abnormal cells by a visual exam. Therefore the possibility of cancer or precancerous lesions remaining undetected in the mouth remains high even after oral cancer screening.

Oral Cancer Screenings Don’t Save Lives: No evidence proves that routine oral exams looking for signs of cancer can reduce the fatalities from oral cancer. However, screening helps detect cancers early when cures are most likely to deliver successful outcomes.

Holpuch Dental performs oral cancer screenings on all patients visiting them for routine dental exams and cleanings near you. If you want to assess whether you are at risk of oral cancer, arrange your next appointment for prophylaxis with them to receive the screening as a complementary gesture from the dentist 44444.