Oral Cancer Detection

February 4, 2012

Delta Dental's Oral Cancer Initiative

Dental professionals have always known that dental evaluations lend themselves to detecting a multitude of systemic conditions including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The early detection of oral cancer is one condition that has the potential to save thousands of lives. The survival rate for oral cancer has remained at 57 percent in the last 40 years. Evidence indicates that early detection can raise this metric to 81 percent or more. This year in the U.S., 8,000 people will die from oral cancer and over 30,000 new cases will be diagnosed.

The OralCDx brush biopsy is the newest tool in the early detection of oral cancer or precancerous cells. With it, the dentist uses a small brush to easily collect tissue cells and the sample is sent to a laboratory for testing and diagnosis. This procedure is indicated to evaluate those unexplained tiny white and red lesions and has been approved by the American Dental Association. While oral cancer is often associated with risk factors, studies indicate that 25 percent of cases have no risk factors at all. This technology can help differentiate a pre-cancer or early cancerous spot from a benign one and save lives.

The software analyzing samples can spot a precancerous or cancerous cell even if it is partially obscured by other cells. In fact, the software was adapted from a program designed for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or "Star Wars" system. This brush biopsy represents a breakthrough in the fight against oral cancer. Brush biopsy analysis method from OralCDx has been extensively studied and is approved by the American Dental Association.