Do you routinely screen your patients for signs of oral cancer?
In August, some 126,000 ADA members received a postcard in the mail, announcing the kickoff of the Association’s nationwide oral cancer public awareness campaign.
One side of the postcard carries an advertisement that is being used in the campaign, while the other has a message about the campaign from ADA President Robert M. Anderton.
The campaign, designed to boost public awareness of this potentially deadly disease and to spotlight the dentist’s role in early detection of oral cancer, began in September and is slated to last three to four months. OralScan Laboratories, provider of OralCDx, funded the campaign through a grant to the ADA.
The campaign features two advertisements emphasizing the importance of early detection of oral cancer. Both display the ADA’s name, logo and Web site address, and they read: "It’s tiny now. Don’t let it grow up to be oral cancer. See your dentist. Testing now is painless."
Outreach efforts include:
- – advertisements that appear on billboards, bus signs, bus shelter signs, taxi tops and commuter bulletins in 11 cities—Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Denver; Houston; Kansas City, Mo.; Miami; New York; Philadelphia; San Francisco; and Seattle;
- – in-office materials—posters, brochures, statement stuffers and patient handouts—available to all dentists;
- – a special supplement to the November issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association, focusing exclusively on oral cancer;
- – an oral cancer insert in the Sept. 17 issue of ADA News.
Almost all respondents to July JADA’s Question of the Month (99 percent) said they routinely screen their patients for signs of oral cancer. Here are some of their comments:
- – "All of my adult patients stick their tongues out at me at the end of my examination."
- – "In every patient, I check the lymph nodes and for intra/extraoral lesions, discolorations and sore areas."
- – "We recall our patients with full upper and lower dentures annually for this purpose."
- – "As oral health professionals, it is our responsibility to our patients. Patients appreciate the extra attention, and it takes only 60 seconds."
- – "Dentists should be required to take CE courses specially designed for cancer screening."
- – "We use OralCDx if we see anything, as well as on our smokers and tobacco chewers."
- – "I have used OralCDx, and I find that patients are very anxious to hear of the result of ‘no abnormal cells.’ Like finding out their chest X-ray is clear."
- – "Thank God my dental school training drilled the head and neck exam into me! I’ve already referred one malignant case and three prema-lignant cases to the oral surgeon, and I’ve only been out for four years!"
- – "In the four years since I graduated from dental school, I have diagnosed five cases of oral cancer. After referral and treatment, all five patients are doing well."
- – "I use an intraoral camera to document any abnormality for future reference regarding changes at reevaluation."
- – "Sadly, 95 percent of my patients had never had a thorough oral cancer screening done! Some think I’m weird! I actually have to show them that the screening is ‘real’ in the ADA patient education book."
- – "I’ve been doing it since about 1975. And I’m a pediatric dentist."
- – "Doesn’t everyone?"
One percent of respondents said they do not routinely screen their patients for signs of oral cancer. One, however, said she thought it was a good suggestion. Another said he only looks for ulcerations and symptoms, but does not perform any further investigations.
