What do you mean by oral cancer?
It is a type of cancer that generally occurs in any part of a person’s mouth. That can be on the lips, tongue surfaces, in the gums, in the inside part of the cheek, in the salivary glands or even in the tonsils. It can be anywhere in the mouth.
Oral cancer is a type of neck and head cancer and is also treated in a similar way. Do you know the most excellent way to screen for mouth cancer? Is it that special mouth cancer screening tests are enhanced than the regular oral exam?
Most of the dentists carry out tests of your mouth during the regular visit to know about oral cancer. Some dentists might even carry out additional tests to help in spotting the areas of unusual cells in your mouth. The main aim to screen for oral cancer is to identify it early so that the chances of curing it increase. This is the reason why it is recommended to get oral check ups regularly.
Oral exam for the purpose of mouth cancer screening
You might sometimes wonder why your dentist is recommending a regular oral exam. This is done to screen for mouth cancer as well as other dental diseases. It is recommended that during the dental visit you get the oral cancer screening done to be on a safer side.
During the oral exam your dentist will look inside your mouth to search if there are any white or red patches or even mouth sores. With his gloved hands he will even try feeling the tissues in your mouth to find out that there are no lumps or any other type of abnormalities. There are many people who have an unusual sore in their mouth, but most of the time these sores are non cancerous.
It is not possible than an oral exam can make out which abnormal sores are cancerous and which are not. If your dentist finds something wrong or any lumps then he will suggest you undergo further tests to find out whether the cells are cancerous or not. There is only one way to determine this and that is by removing some cells from your mouth and then sending it to test them for cancer in a process known as biopsy.
There are some organizations that do not agree with the advantages of getting the oral cancer screening done for mouth cancer. For example, The American Dental Association and British Dental association recommends getting the screening done during the regular visit. On the other hand, United States Preventive Services Task Force states that there is no strong evidence for or against this mouth cancer screening. They even add that there are other techniques that have also been found to detect oral cancer but those are still experimental.
There are certain additional tests also being carried out for oral cancer screening
There are some dentists who make use of certain additional oral tests apart from the oral exam for mouth cancer. It is still not clear whether these tests performed have any assistance over the regular oral exam or not.
The special additional tests that are being carried on by certain dentist are as follows:
Rinsing the mouth with a dye prior to the oral exam:
You might be thinking what the dentist can determine with the blue dye. Your dentist will apply the blue colored dye at the inside of your mouth or ask you to rinse your mouth with the same dye prior to the oral exam. The abnormal cells present in your mouth will take up the blue color of the dye and come out blue. But the dye can not differentiate between non cancerous and cancerous cell, especially for the people who have an average risk of mouth cancer this test is not helpful at all.
It is proved by some studies that this test is useful for the people who have already been diagnosed with one oral cancer and possess the risk of having another.
Shining a light in the mouth at the time of oral exam:
You might be thinking that how a light can be helpful in determining which cells are cancerous. Your dentist will make use of a special light to inspect within of your mouth. With the use of this special light the healthy cells appear to be dark and the abnormal cells appear to be white in color. There is not much evidence that the special light used to detect the abnormal cells has any benefit over the regular oral exam.
Who should have mouth cancer screening?
People with a high risk of mouth cancer can benefit a lot from the oral cancer screening, although, studies have not proved this fact. There are certain factors that can increase the threat of mouth cancer.
• the first factor that has huge impact on the mouth and health of the person is tobacco use. Any kind of tobacco such as cigarettes, chewing tobacco, pipes, cigars etc can increase the risk of oral cancer.
• People drinking too much alcohol.
Most dentists undertake oral screening at every check-up for every patient. It might be prudent to ask for ways to prevent oral cancer.
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