What is Oral Cancer Awareness Month?

April is Oral Cancer Awareness month. This means that dentists around the country are participating in a month-long project to remind the public about this extremely serious disease of the mouth. In most cases, American dentists are performing free oral cancer screenings for patients and others in their communities. These screenings are fast and painless.

It’s estimated that upwards of 37,000 U.S. citizens are diagnosed with oral cancer each year. With awareness and screening, this disease can be found in the early developmental stages (pre-cancer), which means that it’s treatable and curable.

The goal of Oral Cancer Awareness month is to make the screenings part of an annual overall health check-up. Early detection of this disease eliminates costly and painful treatments at later stages, and ensures that survival rates for oral cancer patients remain high.

The most at-risk groups for contracting oral cancer are those who smoke cigarettes and have a long history of drinking alcohol to excess. Others are those who have been exposed to the HPV 16 virus (human papilloma virus version 16), a newly identified etiology. This virus is also responsible for most cervical cancers in America and for making healthy, non-smokers the fastest growing segment of the oral cancer population.

The following are three early signs of oral cancer:

• The soft tissue around the mouth has red and/or white discoloration.
• The existence of sores in the mouth for longer than 14 days.
• A continual hoarse voice.

In addition to early signs, people who have the later stages of oral cancer experience the following:

• The feeling that something is stuck in your throat.
• Your mouth is numb.
• It becomes harder to move your jaw or tongue.
• You have increased trouble swallowing.
• Sores under your dentures won’t heal properly.
• You have a lump in your mouth or on the neck that won’t go away.

To get an oral cancer screening, contact a dentist in your area. If you are looking for a dentist in Millburn, New Jersey, Dr. Vladimir Gashinsky does the oral cancer screenings. Visit his website to learn more about this dentist with a holistic approach at www.drgdds.com, or follow him on Twitter and Friend him on Facebook.