Los Cerritos Community Newspaper Group

Delivered to 45,000 homes (over 105,000 readers) every Friday for over 14 years.
Click on link below to visit our website:
www.loscerritosnews.net

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Dr. Urban on Today’s Dentistry: Oral Cancer

Let me review the facts about oral cancer. The American Dental Association has estimated that there are about 36,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed every year in the United States. About 25% will die from this disease. Disturbingly, about one half of these new cases occur in people under 50 years old and most are non smokers. There is a five-fold increase in the coincidence of oral cancer in people under 40.

Why are the demographic changes occurring? Some attribute the increase to the sexual revolution and the accompanying increase in oral sex. The culprit is the HPV virus that is a known risk factor for oral, head, and neck cancers.

As with most cancers early detection can reduce the morbidity and certainly the treatment required to rid the individual of the tumor. What doctor actually spends all of their time looking into your mouth to fix cavities, heal infected gums, improve smiles, clean teeth, and remove bad teeth? Your dentist of course!

Dentists and hygienists spend a few moments at every examination studying the soft tissues of the mouth to detect any changes, growths, and discolorations. Although visual examination can be effective dentists have a variety of screening tests that can be performed to detect changes under the soft tissues of the mouth.

These include a mouth rinse and examination with a fluorescent light, an oral scraping, and special optical lights. These tests can assure the dentist and the patient that everything is probably okay. In a few cases a referral to the oral surgeon for a confirming biopsy is necessary. In a minority of these biopsies further treatment is required.

The seriousness or incidence of fatality of oral cancer should require a thorough examination and aggressive treatment. Annual examinations are recommended and follow-up necessary. In general any mouth sore should not last more than two weeks.

I remember when my uncle was informed that he had a squamous carcinoma on his tongue. Thinking it would heal and go away he did nothing about it for three months until the pain was overwhelming. The cancer had spread into the jawbone so the surgeon was forced to remove half of his jaw and tongue. My uncle had to retrain himself how to eat food again in front of a mirror. Speech was greatly hampered and the facial deformity was obvious.

Please see your dentist at regular intervals.


For answers to your dental questions, contact
Douglas Urban, D.D.S.
Cerritos, CA 90703
562 924-1523
DrDouglasUrban.com

No comments:

Post a Comment