• 6/25/2007
  • New York, NY
  • Stacie Crozier
  • American Dental Association (ada.org)

The recipe called for months of planning, hard work by dedicated volunteers and a vision to raise oral cancer awareness.

The pièce de résistance was the 2nd annual Oral Cancer Walk sponsored by the Student National Dental Association at New York University College of Dentistry April 14 in Harlem.

Following a “cookbook” plan developed after its event last year, the SNDA raised nearly $32,000 for the Oral Cancer Foundation and attracted more than 500 walkers—up from $20,000 and 300 walkers last year. But just as important, the SNDA’s recipe for success included partnerships among volunteer dental students, faculty, dental hygiene students, cancer survivors and health groups and other partners who all worked together for months to stage the 4-mile walk.

“So many people wanted to get involved and they were so excited about it,” said Jocelyn Jeffries, event chair. “Making the event a success is all about the team. The team was fantastic. I was just an incidental player.”

One of the event’s featured speakers and top fundraisers was Dr. Jerry Wilck, a dentist in Langhorne, Pa., and an oral cancer survivor.

“I was happy to participate and raise money for a cause that is close to my heart,” said Dr. Wilck.

“Two years ago, I had noticed an ulcer in my mouth and it hadn’t been painful. I’m not sure how long it was there before I realized it wasn’t going away. I thought maybe it was caused by that new cinnamon flavored toothpaste I had recently started using. So I waited a week or two before asking my oral surgeon to do the biopsy. Neither of us suspected cancer.”

But it was stage I squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Dr. Wilck began a whirlwind of tests, surgery and speech rehabilitation.

Since his bout with oral cancer, Dr. Wilck volunteers to bring awareness to the public and the dental profession through local media, the Oral Cancer Foundation and other venues. (See his story on the Oral Cancer Foundation Web site.)

Ms. Jeffries worked on the planning team for last year’s event and helped develop a poster presentation last year—a cookbook on how to organize an event.

“I cannot tell you how many details, how much red tape can be involved. Permits, police and community details, promotional materials and logistics. I hope our guidelines can help other schools organize a walk in their communities.”

“Being aware and mastering skills to prevent oral diseases, and protect and promote oral health are fundamental to our profession,” said Dr. Caswell A. Evans, president, American Association of Public Health Dentistry. “The efforts undertaken by the NYU students focused oral cancer awareness activities on a community that experiences a disproportionate burden of disease and could serve as a model for students, faculty and practitioners everywhere.”

Also associate dean for prevention and public health sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, Dr. Evans says, “At the University of Illinois great emphasis is placed on Yul Brynner Oral Cancer Awareness Week and students are heavily involved in numerous oral cancer related events. These are important opportunities to inform the public and broaden the focus of the oral health workforce.”

Next year, Ms. Jeffries said, the NYU group hopes to get more involved in community outreach in the African American community—since African American men are the population group with the highest rates of oral cancer—by working at health fairs and other community events.

“I’m graduating this year,” added Ms. Jeffries, “but I’m staying in the area, doing my residency at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, so I will be able to help out again next year.”