OCF In The News

Dental groups dispute Consumer Reports cancer screening story

Source: http://www.drbicuspid.comBy: Donna Domino, Features EditorDate: April 5, 2013 The dental community is up in arms over a recent Consumer Reports article that claims oral cancer screening is one of several medical tests that are overrecommended and unnecessary for all but high-risk patients. The article, which appears in the March 2013 issue, concluded that "most people shouldn't waste their time" on most diagnostic tests, including chairside visual screenings for oral cancer. "Most people don't need the test unless they are at high risk, because the cancer is relatively uncommon," Consumer Reports wrote. But the ADA and the Oral Cancer Foundation vehemently disagree with the magazine's conclusions, asserting that visual screening can result in earlier diagnosis of oral cancer and other oral diseases. The Consumer Reports article recommends only three cancer tests -- cervical, colon, and breast -- as worthwhile, and includes oral cancer screening among "eight to avoid" tests: ovarian, pancreatic, testicular, prostate, bladder, lung, oral cavity, and skin cancer. The magazine said its ratings were based mainly on reviews from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Early diagnosis critical According to Consumer Reports, the medical community has "systematically exaggerated" the benefits of screening while downplaying the harms, such as unnecessary radiation and biopsies. The ADA quickly registered its disappointment with the recommendations and sent a letter -- co-signed by the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology -- to the editors of Consumer Reports, noting that noninvasive visual and tactile oral cancer screenings are typically included in oral exams [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-04-23T15:24:32-07:00April, 2013|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Painting for the Oral Cancer Foundation

With a desire to help in spreading awareness for oral cancer, Anita McGinn-Natali, a Fine Art Painter from Pennsylvania, donates her original framed and ready to hang oil paintings to Oral Cancer Awareness Walks. Funds collected will benefit the Oral Cancer Foundation. In October of 2007, Anita’s husband, Clark, was diagnosed with oral cancer. Anita was her husband’s caregiver during his treatments and recovery. Two years later,she found the Oral Cancer Foundation online and began to participate in the Forums, whose contributors include patients, caregivers, as well as family and friends of patients. “Discovering the Oral Cancer Foundation website during a challenging time in my husband’s recovery, was gratifying. The information available and the support I received were life savers for me. “I spent hours on the website educating myself about this disease. As a participant in the Forums, I had started out asking questions with others helping me,” Anita says. No long after she was offering support to other patients and caregivers. “It is a unique community of people from all over the world who have the unfortunate common denominator of oral cancer.” Since September 2011, Anita has donated her original oil paintings to three OCF Walks for Awareness: David Nasto in New Jersey (Susan Nasto Lauria); San Antonio (ElizabethSikon); and Colorado (Susan Cotten) Currently, there are 18 Walks for Awareness held throughout the United States. Participants can receive a free oral cancer screening, meet others whoselives have been touched by oral cancer, and be inspired by the work the Oral Cancer Foundation is doing to bring awareness to this debilitating and life changing disease. “I wanted to find a way to give back to this organization that has been such an important part [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-03-04T11:39:46-07:00February, 2013|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

HPV and oral cancer

Source: myfoxny.com Date: Feb 21, 2013 4:02 PM PST Updated: Feb 25, 2013 2:07 PM PST NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) - Oral cancer is being diagnosed at near epidemic proportions, and in many cases it strikes those people who would least suspect it. At 28, Jessica Tar appeared young and healthy. That is why she was floored to find out she had oral cancer; a small tumor was growing on her tongue. "It was just this raised area, and pain from time to time," Tar says. They are symptoms many of may have ignored, but thankfully Jessica did not. Her cancer was caught early and had not spread. She went to Memorial Sloan Kettering's Dr. Jatin Shah for treatment. He recommended a surgery to remove part of her tongue, an aggressive treatment that threatened her career as an actress and singer. "They tell you your mouth is going to be rearranged. The tip of your tongue, where you thought it once was, it won't be there anymore," Tar says. Jessica Tar was anxious to get back to work, so she underwent extensive speech therapy. The hardest thing for her to pronounce was the letter S. Jessica knew she want to work hard at it and she had the ultimate motivation, a specific name in mind for her daughter on the way. "I said to my speech therapist if I can't improve on these S's I don't think I'm going to name her Kalista, but I got better and the day she was born, [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-02-26T13:52:53-07:00February, 2013|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Should You Get the HPV Vaccine?

You don’t have to be a virgin to be protected against cancer. By Jake Blumgart|Posted Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, at 1:22 PM ET Source: Slate A doctor gives a 13-year-old girl an HPV vaccination Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images. The human papillomavirus has the dubious distinction of being the sexually transmitted disease you are most likely to get. It’s also the leading cause of cervical cancer. January has, somewhat arbitrarily, been dubbed Cervical Health Awareness Month (also National Hobby Month and Hot Tea Month, the last at least for good reason). While cervical cancer is the disease most commonly associated with HPV, a recent report from the American Cancer Society emphasizes that HPV’s threat is not gender-specific or organ-specific. While cervical cancer cases are in decline (as are general cancer rates), cancers linked to HPV are on the rise. The increasing prevalence of HPV-linked cancers should permanently alter our limited conception of the disease as chiefly a women’s issue. Oropharyngeal (which I’ll be vulgarizing as “oral”) and anal HPV-related cancers (which particularly afflict men who have sex with men) are becoming more common. Oral malignancies account for 37.3 percent of HPV-related cancers, edging out cervical cancer, which makes up 32.7 percent. For men, oral cancers make up 78.2 percent of total HPV-related cancer incidences, and they account for 11.6 percent of cases among women. The death rate for oral cancer is three times higher than that for cervical cancer. (About 40 percent of penile cancer cases are HPV-related, but rates [...]

Charlotte Parker2013-01-28T14:28:34-07:00January, 2013|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

A tragic turn of events to most important dental story published in 2012

Source: DentistryIQ Date: 12/21/2012 By Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS, and Jo-Anne Jones, RDH Jo-Anne Jones, RDH, President, RDH Connection Inc., has much to be proud of! An article by Jo-Anne, about a possible connection between sex and oral cancer, has been selected by the dental editors of PennWell publications as the most important article published in 2012 for the dental profession. Jones’ article, “Sex and oral cancer: What is the connection?” appeared in the April 6 issue of RDH eVillage FOCUS e-newsletter. The article shares some of the latest statistics regarding a possible connection between the human papillomavirus (HPV) and oral cancer. To read the article, click here. The editors participating in the selection of the top published dental story perform editorial duties for Dental Economics, RDH, and Proofs magazines, as well as Dental Assisting Digest, RDH eVillage, RDH eVillage FOCUS, DE Expert Tips & Tricks, Surgical-Restorative Resource, and New Products electronic newsletters. Articles that were published in either print or electronic formats were accepted. Dental editors were asked to submit a nomination of the most important article from their respective publication. Nominations were sought for the following categories: • Most important article from Dental Assisting Digest • Most important article from Proofs • Most important article from RDH eVillage • Most important article from RDH eVillage FOCUS • Most important article from New Products • Most important article from Surgical-Restorative Resource • Most important article from DE Expert Tips & Tricks • Most important article from DentalEconomics.com • [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-12-21T10:56:21-07:00December, 2012|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

The Oral Cancer Foundation Honored as 2012 Top-Rated Nonprofit

Source: The Oral Cancer Foundation New GreatNonprofits.org Award is Based on Positive Online Reviews NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Dec. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Oral Cancer Foundation announced today that it has been honored with a prestigious 2012 Top-Rated Award by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews about nonprofit organizations. "We are excited to be named a Top-Rated 2012 Nonprofit," says Brian Hill , Founder and Executive Director, The Oral Cancer Foundation. "We are proud of our accomplishments this year, including the public service announcement we filmed with Actor and oral cancer survivor, Michael Douglas ." The Top-Rated Nonprofit award was based on the large number of positive reviews that OCF received – reviews written by volunteers, donors and clients. People posted their personal experience with the nonprofit. For example, one person wrote, "I was 33 years old when I was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic Oral Cancer. The treatments and surgeries that saved my life however left me disfigured, disabled, and dependent on the opiate pain medication, Fentanyl. I felt lost and alone, without hope. I found the Oral Cancer Foundation website 11 months after diagnosis and it was a ray of light for me. I was able to connect with survivors and other patients who understood my struggle and relate to where I was. With their advice and support I've been able to rebuild my body and free myself from the opiates, and begin to live again. I can't express the gratitude in my heart for the Oral Cancer [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-12-14T15:17:40-07:00December, 2012|OCF In The News|

GIVING ORAL CANCER A LOUDER VOICE

BY PATTI DIGANGI, RDH, BS Even with our best efforts, oral cancer continues to have a nearly 50% mortality rate at five years. This equals 40,000 deaths annually in the United States with 370,000 worldwide. It is predicted that there will be a world-wide oral cancer epidemic by mid-21st century. Predictions are based on what has been and current situations. The wonderful part of predictions is they can be wrong. Two people, Alison Stahl and Eric Statler, are leading the way to circumvent that future death rate. They challenge all of us across the country not to be reactive — but rather to be proactive in our approach. Volunteers welcome participants to the oral cancer walk. Eric Statler is a stage IV oral cancer survivor. As happens far too often, he was initially misdiagnosed and thought to be experiencing pain related to wisdom teeth. An infection that followed his extractions was treated with antibiotics and he was dismissed. With no resolution and increasing pain, he went back to the dentist who immediately referred him to a specialist. Someone You Should Know: (from left to right:) Mike Stahl, Kim Benkert, Denise Snarski, Bonnie Chisholm-Green, Trish DeDios, Patti DiGangi, Donna Grzegorek, Alison Stahl, Amy Frazin, Lois Roewade, Ewa Posorski, Tracy Fritz, Zuzana Buc, Cynthia Pfeiffer, and Eric Stadler. At the age of 33, Eric was diagnosed with stage IV HPV related oral cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed along with multiple disfiguring surgeries and some facial paralysis. Treatments were initially [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-11-02T14:48:17-07:00October, 2012|OCF In The News|

On the Job with Laura Schmitz Cook

Source: StarTribune.com In seven years as a Registered Dental Hygienist, Laura Schmitz Cook has already seen a lot of change -- for example, she said, "Fluoride varnish has progressed. It was yellowish, now it's clear. You can give it to young kids without fear. It's a great treatment for kids with high decay risk." Digital X-rays are easier to manipulate than film, providing better information about what's going on, and because they're instantly viewable, "they're a great educational tool." Of course, some things haven't changed; Schmitz Cook spends most of her time cleaning teeth. "I take pride in being very gentle, but when people tell me they don't like the dentist, I say, 'I don't take it personally.' I understand the anxiety about going to the dentist." Through her first year in college, Schmitz Cook was torn between being a teacher and being a hygienist. After spending 20 hours shadowing a hygienist, the decision was easy. "I could see myself doing this," she said. In addition to graduating with a four-year degree from an accredited program, Schmitz Cook had to take clinical and written board examinations. Schmitz Cook moved to Minnesota as soon as she graduated from the University of South Dakota and "found a job right away through networking," although she senses that jobs are tighter in the current economy. To be registered in Minnesota, she had to pass a state test on relevant laws and the code of ethics. She also earns 25 continuing education credits every two [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-10-22T10:13:08-07:00October, 2012|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Viral Marketing: What’s Stopping Men From Getting the HPV Vaccine

Source: GOOD Mobile By: Jake Blumgart on July 6, 2012 at 3:00AM PDT In early 2011, my doctor informed me that a vaccine to protect against the human papillomavirus—HPV—was now available for men. I was relieved, then frustrated—my doctor didn’t actually offer the principal vaccine, Gardasil, to her male patients. After a couple days of hunting around town, I finally found the vaccine at the Mazzoni Center, a LGBT health clinic in downtown Philly. I received all three shots, and joined the less than 1 percent of American men who are vaccinated against the most dangerous strains of the virus. While I was exceedingly grateful to the Mazzoni Center inoculating me, I knew of only one other male friend who’d received his shots. So since I got my shots, I’ve made a point of discussing my experience with any friend, acquaintance, or bemused bystander who will listen. And I’ve learned two things about young, straight men and HPV: We all know it exists, and not much else. When I posted about my vaccinations on Facebook and Twitter, the response was largely positive—but the dozen or so likes and comments mainly came from my female friends. When I brought up the issue with a few straight guys, they seemed confused about my decision to air the information in public. Embarrassed, I let the conversation drop. But a couple weeks later, I received a Facebook message from an acquaintance in another city, freaking out about his own HPV scare, and asking me whether [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-07-09T09:04:05-07:00July, 2012|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Allentown woman who lost jaw to cancer shares anti-smoking message

Source: LehighVallyLive.com People often stare at Christine Brader. Sometimes strangers ask the Allentown woman what happened to her. She tells them, "I used to smoke." Tobacco users flinch when they hear her response, Brader says. Smoking led to oral cancer, which eventually cost the 49-year-old all of her teeth and part of her lower jaw.Brader has had three bouts with the disease since her first diagnosis five years ago, but is now cancer free. "I have to go through life disfigured, all because I made a bad decision and smoked," she says. Brader doesn't want others to follow in her footsteps, so she is working with Tobacco Free Northeast Pennsylvania to spread the word about the dangers of smoking. The organization serves a 10-county area, including Lehigh and Northampton, spokeswoman Alice Dalla Palu said. Brader recently shared her story in a radio advertisement broadcast during the week of World No Tobacco Day, which was May 31. In the ad -- part of the Centers for Disease Control "Tips from Former Smokers" campaign -- she describes preparing liquid meals and consuming them through a feeding tube. Last year, Brader appeared in a TV commercial for Truth, a national smoking prevention campaign that targets youth. BREAK THE HABIT: Call 1-800-784-8669 or visit tobaccofreene.com to get help quitting smoking. She started smoking at 16 to fit in with her peers and continued for 28 years. Brader quit cold turkey at 44 after learning in June 2007 that the growth inside her cheek was cancer. [...]

Charlotte Parker2012-06-18T10:03:27-07:00June, 2012|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|