At Oral Cancer Screening Event, the Benefits of Early Detection

Volunteers at RSDM's annual oral cancer screening event.

More than 150 patients were examined earlier this month at RSDM's oral cancer screening event, which helps raise awareness of risk factors for the disease and the benefits of early detection.

Although more than 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society, the public is still uneducated about many aspects of the disease.

"Many individuals are surprised to learn cancer could also affect the oral cavity, and consequently, they don't seek care until disease becomes symptomatic,'' said Dr. Mahnaz Fatahzadeh, director of RSDM's pre- and postdoctoral oral medicine training and the Oral Mucosal Diseases Clinic. "It's a disease with significant morbidity and poor survival rates frequently caused by delayed diagnosis."

The key to improving survival is early detection, she said. "A trip to the dentist could prevent more than the tooth decay. For many of those screened during the event, this free service was their only contact with an oral health care provider over the past year."

Students at RSDM receive extensive training on signs, symptoms and risk factors for the disease. As dentists, they can detect oral mucosal abnormalities, which can be evidence of pre-cancer symptoms, said Fatahzadeh.

"Dental professionals can also contribute to prevention by educating their patients about the risk factors and, emphasizing self-exam between dental visits,'' she added. "It's very heart warming to see the entire dental school family contribute to the screening efforts. I would like to personally offer a big thank you to all the faculty, post and pre-doctoral dental students and staff whose participation made this possible."