Importance of Screening
Early detection and diagnosis is key, so it’s important for patients to see an oral healthcare professional regularly, particularly if they are in the high-risk groups. Depending on a patient's risk factors or age, they should have their oral healthcare professional conduct a ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® exam at the following times:
- Starting at age 18, a patient's oral healthcare professional should conduct a ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® oral cancer screening exam every two years.
- Patients between the ages of 30 and 40 should have an annual ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® oral cancer screening exam. Exams can be spaced out to every two years if a patient has had negative results for three consecutive years.
- Patients with one or more risk factors should ask their oral healthcare professional to conduct a ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® oral cancer screening exam as part of their an annual checkup.
What can people do to reduce their risk for oral cancer?
The single most effective way to reduce the risk of developing oral cancer is to avoid tobacco products and to evaluate drinking habits. Individuals over the age of 40 who use tobacco and/or drink regularly should visit a dentist annually for a comprehensive oral cancer examination, which includes the use of an adjunctive screening device like ViziLite® Plus with TBlue®. ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® is the leading oral cancer screening system that was developed to help your oral healthcare professional identify and mark abnormal oral lesions including precancerous or cancerous cells that may be missed during a conventional visual examination. If a person has one or more of the risk factors for oral cancer, they should speak with their oral healthcare professional about concerns for developing oral cancer.
Oral cancer screening has not traditionally included diagnostic aids to help oral health professionals identify, evaluate and monitor abnormal oral lesions. With ViziLite® Plus with TBlue®, oral healthcare professionals now have a way that helps them identify, evaluate and monitor as well as mark abnormal oral lesions that may include precancerous cells and cancer. At your next appointment, ask your oral healthcare professional about including ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® as part of your annual or semiannual checkup.
The following chart shows what diagnostic aids exist today to help healthcare professionals identify, evaluate and monitor different types of cancers. Many of these diagnostic aids have been used by healthcare professionals at their patients’ annual or semiannual exams.
The chart below shows how the death rates of other types of cancers have dropped with routine visual/manual screening examinations followed by annual examinations with an adjunctive screening technology. As you can see, when patients at increased risk for breast cancer, prostate cancer and cervical cancer started receiving annual screenings with the mammogram, PSA test and Pap smear, respectively, there was a significant decline in death rates due to these cancers.
Early detection is the key to reducing the devastating impact of oral cancer for patients and their families. Annual oral cancer screening of patients at increased risk for oral cancer – patients age 18 and older and tobacco users of any age – is the only way to achieve the early detection of oral cancer necessary to reduce the death rate of oral cancer – a death rate that has remained unchanged for more than 40 years!
