An advancement has been added to the dental field which can potentially save many a lives. Dentists have named this device Velscope which can detect cancer before it enters advanced stages.
The Oral Cancer Foundation states that a person succumbs to oral cancer every hour of each day in the United States. Oral cancer can be found in the mouth, lips and throat and can be treated if it is diagnosed early. The main drawback of oral cancer is that it shows no apparent symptoms in early stages and often goes unnoticed.
“Dentists are the gatekeepers of the oral cavity, and it’s our responsibility to catch diseases as early as possible,” said Dr. Kurt Black with Timberhill Dental in Corvallis.
The dental community holds the responsibility of identifying and saving lives of the ones affected with oral cancer. The most important step in combating oral cancer is early detection and the dental community is best placed to identify it.
Some more stats indicate that around 34 thousand Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer every year and less than half of these live 5 years after diagnosis. Dr. Black expresses his surprise at the poor awareness by saying “It is amazing how little attention oral cancer gets because getting oral cancer is more common than getting cervical cancer.”
The Velscope does not actually diagnose the cancer but it detects areas that appear suspicious. Dentists powered with Velscope can now save lives. If detected early enough, 90% of oral cancer cases are curable.
The Velscope is no complex machine with complex procedures but a simple machine whose examination takes only 5 minutes. It works simple enough as well. The Velscope gives off blue light. This blue light when projected inside a patient’s mouth turns the oral tissue green as the oral tissue reacts with the fluorescent light. The Problem areas turn maroon in color.
The Velscope is an amazing gift of technology to the dentist and regular employment of this device in clinics can save many lives by detecting cancerous and precancerous tissue.
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