Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Mouth, Head and Neck Examination for Oral Cancer

At Adult Dentistry of Rochester, routine mouth, head and neck examinations are performed along with a review of your medical history at every dental visit.  The examination takes just a minute or two.  A review of the medical history is important to proceed safely with dental treatment at your visit and assess any risk factors for the development of oral cancer.

These questions relate to the use of tobacco (smoking, chewing, snuff or other forms of smokeless tobacco) along with the frequency and the amount of alcohol consumption.  Recent studies have implicated Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) as being related to tongue and throat cancer.  Cancer of the lower lip is strongly related to chronic exposure to sunlight.  Nutritional deficiencies including Vitamin A and Iron may be related to an increased risk of cancer.

3% of all cancers are oral cancers with a slight male predominance of about 2 to 1.  Early detection of oral cancer is important because delayed diagnosis and treatment yields a diminished survival rate from an already alarming rate of approximately 50% after 5 years.  At Adult Dentistry of Rochester, Dr. Dulski performs a thorough examination intended to identify abnormalities with establishment of an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.  For a free screening examination which in the case of oral cancer may prove life saving, contact us at http://www.dulski.com/cancer.html.

Tags: Dental ExaminationOral Cancer

5 comments:

  1. Lets talk about Human Papilloma Virus, also known as HSV-1, formerly known as "above the waist". It has been established that genital HSV-1 infections are increasing and now exceed 50% in certain populations including adults over age 40 to 65 as well as young adults, ages 16 to 25.

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  2. The world was shock when Michael Douglas announced he had stage 4 throat cancer.It forms at the base of the tongue,back of the mouth and the uvula,the tonsils and the back and side wall of the throat.

    Steps for oral cancer prevention:
    1. Abstain from unprotected sex, including oral sex.
    2.Alcohol should be used in moderation.
    3.Avoid tobacco use.
    4. Increase your consumption of antioxidants such as vitamin c and e, beta-cartene,coenzyme, and selenium.
    5. Try to eat a healthy diet like fresh fruits and vegetables. Avoid refined carbohydrates and sugars, that promote acidity in the body.
    6.Ask your dentist and doctor to use an early detection device for oral cancer and get tested at least once per year if you are over 17 yrs.

    FOX NEWS
    DR. GERRY CURATOLA

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  3. Douglas appears to have had a large tumor -- too large to remove by surgery. His throat cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, had reached a dangerously late stage.

    Unfortunately, oropharyngeal cancer is becoming more and more common. Smoking, and, to a lesser extent, drinking are risk factors for the disease. But the disease also is caused by HPV, the sexually transmitted virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer. HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer, Har-El says, tends to be more readily curable.

    The bad news, Douglas says, is that his salivary glands aren't working properly. Radiation treatment for oropharyngeal cancer kills the tumor but also blasts the salivary glands.

    Har-El says Douglas' salivary-gland function likely will improve over time, but that it may never fully recover. Most people, he says, don't fully appreciate how difficult it is to be unable to salivate normally.

    "How does it feel to swallow without saliva? Take a bagel, put butter on it, then dip it in beach sand and try to eat it," Har-El says. "It is very rough and has effects on the teeth, on swallowing, and on speech. It does get better with time, but in most cases doesn't go back to full recovery."
    SOURCES:
    Gady Har-El, MD, chairman, department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York.

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  4. I had never been tested for oral cancer at the dentist before I started coming to Dr. Dulski.I am happy that they do this. Now maybe if something is going on the can see if first before it gets too far advance.

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  5. Thanks for taking the time to share this informative post with us. This was such a well detailed article and hope to see more from you soon. Have a wonderful rest of your day.
    Dentist Philadelphia

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