Oral Cancer Screening | Dental Practice Solutions

ORAL CANCER AWARNESS SOCIALTHON

By: admin

April 30, 2019

On Friday April 26, 2019, DentalCast Productions hosted the first ever, Oral Cancer Awareness Socialthon.

The socialthon reached over 100,000 people through social media and 12,000 people viewed the live event hosted on Facebook. The dollar amount of donations is still coming in. Final dollars are not known but it should break $13,000.

Oral Cancer Cause (OCC) was founded in 2013 by Linda Miles and Robin Morrison in memory of Charlotte Estep Linda Miles’ sister-in-law, and Mike Collins, Robin Morrison’s brother. Charlotte and Mike passed away in 2012 after suffering for several years from oral cancer. Both went undiagnosed for an extended amount of time, thereby allowing their disease to progress to an advanced and untreatable stage.

Linda and Robin share a passion for dentistry and saving lives and this is the OCC inspiration. By blending the knowledge of early detection and treatment; comprehensive oral exams along with dedicated dental/medical professionals; sponsoring partners; and dental/medical associations, OCC will make a difference in the lives of many oral cancer patients and their families.

On Friday April 26 the Socialthon brought together 48 dental industry luminaries to discuss prevention of this horrible disease and help put a halt to the amount of undiagnosed cases of oral cancer.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be 53,000 new cases of oral cavity and pharynx cancer diagnosed.

In 2016 it was estimated that 370,309 people living with oral cavity and pharynx cancer in the United States.

1. What can we as dental professionals do to put a halt to this life altering and debilitating disease?

The Socialthon was the first ever event that brought together so many dental professionals to change the climate of this disease and spread the work to halt the disease.

2. What can healthcare professionals do to reduce the rate of oral and pharynx cancer diagnosis?

• Education from dental providers to other dental providers is a great place to start.

• Too many clinicians are not taking the time (less than 5 minutes annually) to screen patients.

• All healthcare providers must take an interest to talk with their patients about annual screening.

• The dental professional must learn ways to talk about “prevention” of oral and pharynx cancer as well as explain the value and benefits of oral cancer screening.

• Teens must be educated at the proper time in the proper place about safe sex and how to protect themselves from exposure to HPV which is the #1 cause of pharynx cancer.

To hear from the 48 dental luminaries, the stories and suggestions to prevent oral cancer please click the link to the live event.

Are you doing oral cancer screenings in your office?

What do you tell your patients when you are providing this life-saving exam?
Do you use Fluorescence technology to screen? Fluorescence technology does not detect oral cancer but will detect oral abnormalities. Most patients when diagnosed with oral cancer are diagnosed at stage IV and using the Fluorescence technology, OralIDR
Patients can eliminate life-threatening surgery and treatment for cancer.

Using the OralIDR means you can discover abnormal cells and prevent a grim diagnosis. You will also help save more lives by using the fluorescence technology to detect abnormalities vs. waiting until you can see or feel a lesion.

Be sure to check out the website for OralIDR because they have a lot of resources to help educate your patients about screenings and prevention of oral and pharynx cancer. The website with information can be found here.

References.

https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/oralcav.html

Accessed on April 28, 2019

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS is founder and CEO of Dental Practice Solutions. Debbie is also a former dental hygiene program director. Her expertise is optimizing the hygiene department by taking a total team approach; including the doctor as the leader.

Schedule a FREE Profit Boosting Session Here today.

Oral Cancer Awareness Month

By: admin

April 23, 2019

April is Oral Cancer Awareness month, and this is a perfect time to think about how you can better serve your patients’ oral healthcare needs. Oral cancer screenings by dental professionals will reduce the incidences of oral cancer diagnosed each year.

The rise in oral cancer is up, higher than every before. There is no decline in this rate in sight, so as dental professionals we have our work cut out for us.

New cases of oral cancer, no matter age, race, and gender; overall is 10.5 adults per 100,000 will develop oral cancer. Oral cancer rates are significantly higher for males than for females.

Oral cancer rates are higher for Hispanic and Black males than for White males.

If dental professionals can participate in early diagnosis for oral cancer, if we can help discover an abnormality sooner, we can increase the changes of improved survival rates. An estimated

Raise oral cancer awareness and make a difference in your community by arranging an office event where people can walk in and get screened during a certain timeframe.

One of the best ways to screen is using fluorescence technology.

OralID’s fluorescence technology uses a blue light (435–460 nm) that provides the clinician an aid in visualization of oral mucosal abnormalities, such as oral cancer and pre-cancer. The other medical applications of fluorescence technology include highlighting abnormalities of the GI tract, cervix, lung, and skin.

You can learn more about the OralID® by visiting the Forward Science website: http://www.oralid.com/

For more information about oral cancer awareness and simplified, cost-effective ways to screen your patients plan to join the Oral Cancer Awareness Socialthon on Friday April 26, 2019. The socialthon will be hosted on Facebook, all day on Friday April 26, 2019.

Join us for the Socialthon here: http://bit.ly/OralcancerSocialthon

REFERENCES.

https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/data-statistics/oral-cancer/incidence
https://oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/
- Feb 27, 2019 – The death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cancers which we hear about routinely such as cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma…
- Key Statistics for Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancers
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/oral-cavity-and…cancer/about/key-statistics.html
- Jan 9, 2019 – In recent years, the overall rate of new cases of human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers has been…
- Oral Cancer Incidence (New Cases) by Age, Race, and Gender …
https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/data-statistics/oral-cancer/incidence
- Oral Cancer Incidence (New Cases) by Age, Race, and Gender. … Overall, 10.5 adults per 100,000 will develop oral cancer. Oral cancer rates are significantly higher for males than for females. Oral cancer rates are higher for Hispanic and Black males than for White males.
- Oral Cavity and Pharynx Cancer statistics. … Modeled trend lines were calculated from the underlying rates using the Joinpoint Trend Analysis Software.
- DM Laronde; HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/hpv/statistics/headneck.htm

1. Provide Patient Education

Adopting a protocol at the office for patient education regarding oral cancer can help with early detection.

2. Help Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatment Find Relief

Patients currently undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation often suffer from mouth sores. Because cancer treatments impact the body’s immune system so severely, patients become more prone to mouth sores.

These sores can appear on the lips, tongue or roof and floor of the mouth, causing pain and discomfort while eating, talking and even breathing.

We often hear from our dental pros how much their patients find relief with our Super Relief Dental Gel, powered by healing aloe vera, folic acid, zinc and Oxygene®.

3. Screen at Every Checkup

According to the “2016 Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Survey,” only 37% of survey respondents recall being screened for oral cancer at their last dental checkup.

Furthermore, 83% of respondents said they’d like to be screened for oral cancer at every checkup, and 86% would like their dental pro to talk to them about oral cancer.

If there isn’t a regular screening policy in place at your office, now’s a great time to adopt one!

Patients are sure to appreciate this, especially new patients who were used to getting screened at every appointment by their past provider.

4. Help Patients Establish a Oral Routine

Oral Cancer Awareness Month can be another incentive to motivate good oral health routines in your patient’s lives.

Brushing twice a day, flossing and using quality dental products will always be the key to maintaining good oral health.

Oxyfresh Lemon-Mint Power Rinse Mouthwash is our most popular alcohol-free mouthwash for a reason. Besides its unique and refreshing blend of essential oils, it contains aloe vera to moisten the mouth and comfort the gum tissues, plus Oxygene® and zinc for powerful deodorizing action.

Recommend this powerful mouthwash to your dental patients so they can ditch dry mouth and have fresher breath as they work on quitting the habit

Debbie Seidel-Bittke, RDH, BS

Debbie founded Dental Practice Solutions in 2000. She speaks at dental conferences throughout the world and also coaches and consults with dental practices worldwide.

The team at Dental Practice Solutions takes a holistic approach working with each dental practice. Debbie understands how to quickly tap into productivity of the dental hygiene department to optimize systems with the entire team, showing everyone how to work smarter and not work so hard.

Check out how the team at Dental Practice Solutions adds to your productivity without working harder or more days. Schedule a FREE 30-minute call now.