• 3/19/2007
  • web-based article
  • press release
  • MidWest Dental

Approximately 34,000 people in the United States will be newly diagnosed with oral cancer in 2007. When discovered early, oral cancers have an 80 to 90% cure rate. Unfortunately, the majority of oral cancer is found at its late stage, and accounts for a very high death rate. For these reasons, Midwest Dental is committed to the fight against oral cancer.

During the month of April, Midwest Dental will be donating $20 of each oral cancer screening to The Oral Cancer Foundation (www.oralcancer.org).

Midwest Dental doctors will offer ViziLite Plus, an FDA approved oral cancer screening tool. ViziLite Plus is a quick and painless exam. The patient uses a rinse to dry the tissue in the mouth. Using a special glow stick, the dentist looks for abnormalities. Anything that is abnormal appears white, while healthy tissue absorbs the light and appears dark.

“Midwest Dental is dedicated to oral cancer awareness and recognizes that early detection is the key to reducing the mortality rate associated with this disease,” said Dr. Jeffrey Moos, CEO of Midwest Dental. “We are proud to provide oral cancer screenings to our patients.”

As with other types of cancer, age is the primary risk factor for oral cancer, with 95 percent of oral cancer victims being 40 and older. However, this historical demographic of patients is changing, and young, non smoking people between 20 and 50 are the fastest growing segment of the oral cancer population. All adults age 18 and older are considered to be at increased risk for oral cancer.

According to The Oral Cancer Foundation other risk factors include;
• Tobacco use
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Excessive unprotected exposure to the sun
• Low intake of fruits and vegetables

Risk factors that are not controllable include;
• Age – older individuals tend to develop more disease in general
• HPV viral infection
• Race, ethnicity, and economics– there are socio-economic factors that influence the development of cancers in different groups of people. For instance, while not related to biology, African Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer 2 to 1 over other races. In addition, people who live in areas with poor access to healthcare, or for economic reasons, do not routinely visit a dentist or doctor, are also at increased risk.
• Recurrence – previous head and neck cancer patients have a higher risk of cancer recurrence.
• Gender – statistically males get oral cancer more often than females.

“This organization realizes the importance of detecting oral cancer in its early stages,” said Brian Hill, the founder of OCF. “As a late stage survivor myself, I am a strong advocate for oral cancer screenings and feel that Midwest Dental is helping to increase oral cancer awareness.”

Midwest Dental continuously evaluates new technologies to further improve and enhance the early detection of oral cancer. An oral cancer screening takes 3-5 minutes and can save lives. In addition, regular dental checkups and examinations can lead to the detection of oral cancer when they are at an earlier, more treatable stage.

Midwest Dental is a dental management company headquartered in Mondovi, WI with 47 clinics in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa. To locate a Midwest Dental clinic near you, visit www.midwest-dental.com.