Often generally referred to “oral cancer”, oral and oropharyngeal cancers are any cancer that forms in the mouth, lips, cheeks, gums, tongue, hard palate, tonsils and throat.

If oral cancer is discovered early, the 5-year relative survival rate is over 85%.  If discovered late, it is only about 40%. This year, about 54,000 people in the USA will be diagnosed with oral/oropharyngeal cancer and nearly 11,000 will die. Early detection is key.

Also referred to as an intra and extraoral head and neck exam, we perform this examination to assess your head and neck for anything unusual (e.g. asymmetry or abnormal lumps and bumps) and also the inside of your oral cavity. 

We perform an examination with the VELscope after we have performed the COE to try and find anything that we might have missed with the regular exam.  The VELscope emits specific wavelengths of blue spectrum light into your mouth to stimulate natural tissue fluorescence which can be viewed directly through the VELscope.  Research has shown that the VELscope can help find abnormal tissue that might have unnoticed by the naked eye.

VELscope® excels in detecting oral cancer early, improving identification odds. Its comfort and speed integrate seamlessly into dental check-ups. Incorporating VELscope® into regular visits enhances your oral health protection and overall well-being.

• Tobacco Use –
  • Both regular smoking and oral tobacco products (e.g. snuff, chewing tobacco) are implicated.
• HPV Infection –
  • 70% of oropharyngeal cancer is believed to be associated with HPV16 infection.
• Gender –
  • Statistically, males are at higher risk for oral/oropharyngeal cancer than females.
• Age –
  • Oral cavity cancer (mostly tobacco related) is seen more commonly in older individuals (older than 50).
• Sun Exposure –
  • UV-light associated lip cancer used to be one of the most common types of oral cancer.