Velscope - Oral Cancer Screening

In our continuing efforts to provide the most advanced technology and highest quality care available to our patients, this practice is proud to announce the inclusion of the Velscope® exam as an integral part of our annual comprehensive oral cancer screening program.

Every hour of every day in America someone dies of Oral Cancer. Oral Cancer is the sixth most common diagnosed form of cancer in the United States. Presently 30,000 patients are diagnosed annually with oral cancer. The 5-year survival rate is only 50%, accounting for 8,000 deaths each year. Oral Cancer is one of the few cancers whose survival rate has not improved in the past 50 years. This is due primarily to the fact that during this time we have not changed the way we screen for this disease (a visual and manual examination of the oral cavity, head, and neck).

Alarmingly, more than 25% of oral cancer victims have no lifestyle risk factors. Clinical studies have determined that using Velscope® after the standard oral cancer examination improves the clinician's ability to identify, evaluate and monitor suspicious areas at their earliest stages. Early detection of pre-cancerous tissue can minimize or eliminate the potentially disfiguring effects of oral cancer and possibly save your life. Proven screening technologies such as mammogram, Pap smear, PSA and colonoscopy offer the same types of early detection of cancer. Velscope® is an easy and painless examination that gives this practice the best chance to find any oral abnormalities you may have at the earliest possible stage.

Oral cancer risk by patient profile is listed below:

Highest Risk: Patients age 40 and older and lifestyle risk factors (tobacco use, alcohol use); patients with a history of oral cancer

High Risk: Patients age 40 and older; tobacco users of any age; regular alcohol use

Increased Risk: Patients age 18 - 39

Dental insurance might not cover this advanced oral cancer screening as an addition to the standard visual examination. This practice prescribes the Velscope® exam for all patients at increased risk, high risk and highest risk for oral cancer (adult patients age 18 and older and tobacco users of any age).