Source: King5TV
Author: Elizabeth Berman

Tens of thousands of people will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. Only half will survive five years.

75% of dentists do not screen for oral cancer which is why it goes undetected and spreads throughout the body before it’s too late. There is now a link between oral cancer being transmitted by oral sex even.

Local dentist (of Woodinville, WA), Dr. Michael Koczarski offers life saving screening known as VELscope which uses a bright blue light to illuminate the mouth. The screening can reveal tiny lesions that could be signs of oral cancer. It’s a quick, painless and non-invasive test that can illuminate abnormalities in the mouth before they are visible to the naked eye.

• Oral cancer is a disfiguring and life-threatening cancer that affects 34,000 Americans each year and kills roughly one person every hour.

• The death rate percentage for those with oral cancer is greater than that of breast cancer.

• A disturbing new find is that it’s not all due to tobacco or alcohol use. It has been reported that the increase in oral cancer among younger people is due to a link between oral sex and HPV – the same virus linked to cervical cancer.

• Dr. Michael Koczarski is one of the first dentists to adopt VELscope early detection technology for oral cancer screening.  In honor of Oral Cancer Awareness Month in April, Dr. Koczarski is offering a free VELscope screening with every exam performed in April. Patients can schedule their appointments by calling (425) 486-2200.