A new study found that nearly one in ten dental professionals, an assumed low-risk group, had small oral lesions that need to be tested for abnormalities that could be oral cancer. Based on these findings, general dentists should be encouraged to examine their patients, even those assumed at “low risk” for spots and sores that could be early signs of this devastating disease. As reported in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA, March 2002), 930 dentists and dental hygienists took advantage of a screening program at the 1999 and 2000 annual sessions of the American Dental Association during which they received routine health screening tests including oral, head and neck cancer examinations. Eighty-nine individuals –nearly 10%-- with 93 oral spots and sores, also referred to as epithelial lesions, were identified and evaluated by OralCDx, an oral brush biopsy with a computer-assisted method of analysis. Seven of the 93 oral lesions, all harmless appearing in their clinical presentation, were determined to be abnormal by the OralCDx test. Of these, three subsequently proved precancerous by scalpel biopsy and histology.
“This study confirms the data from other screening studies that have demonstrated that oral lesions are not rare, but are, in fact, extremely common, even in low risk individuals,” said study author David C. Christian, DDS. “Given that 10% of screened dentists and dental hygienists, an assumed low-risk group, have an epithelial oral lesion, it is evident that general dentists routinely encounter many oral lesions in their patients which should be further tested for abnormalities that could be precursors to oral cancer. The brush biopsy affords the dentist the opportunity to evaluate these lesions and, like the Pap smear and mammogram, can aid in the identification of precancers and potentially curable cancers,” he continued.
Oral cancer affects some 30,000 Americans each year, including more than 20,000 men, and claims the lives of nearly 8,000 people, according to the American Cancer Society. Although tobacco users and those who consume large amounts of alcohol are at higher risk for developing oral cancer, more than 25% of oral cancer victims fall outside of these categories.
In its earliest, most treatable stages, oral cancer generally causes no pain or discomfort and may be difficult to diagnose visually. Precancerous and cancerous spots or sores are virtually indistinguishable from benign spots or sores that commonly are seen in the mouth. As a result, these can progress to a more advanced, malignant stage before they are properly identified. Therefore, an oral cancer examination and testing is necessary in order to detect possible disease at its earliest possible stage.
The study found the brush biopsy system to be a valuable aid to the oral examination in identifying which lesions were precancerous. This minimally invasive chair-side test allows the general dentist to determine the significance of epithelial abnormalities detected during an oral examination, and therefore aids in determining which benign-appearing lesions require immediate scalpel biopsy.
OralCDx, which carries the ADA Seal of Acceptance, is provided by CDx Laboratories and is exclusively represented by Sullivan-Schein Dental, www.sullivanschein.com, a Henry Schein Company (Nasdaq:HSIC). For more information, visit www.oralcdx.com or dentists can call 1-800-560-4467.
CDx Laboratories is a medical technology and biotechnology company dedicated to the detection of cancer at its earliest most curable stage through its specialty laboratory testing of lesion observed in the oral cavity, nasopharanyx, hypopharynx, pharynx, trachea, larynx and esophagus.