Oral Cancer Fact Sheet
We provide oral cancer screenings as part of our routine maintenance examinations because we want to
help catch this terrible disease in its early stages. Sadly, one person dies every hour from oral cancer
in the United States and over 25% of victims do not smoke and have no other risk factors. More
people die from oral cancer than either cervical cancer or melanoma (skin cancer).
Oral cancer often starts as a tiny, unnoticed white or red spot or sore anywhere in the mouth. It can
affect any area of the oral cavity including the lips, gum tissue, cheek lining, tongue, and the hard or
soft palate. Usually oral cancer does not have symptoms until the late stages of the disease.
Things we look for during your oral cancer screening:
Persistent swellings
White, red, or speckled spots
Bleeding
Numbness or pain
Difficulty with chewing
Hoarseness
Chronic sore throat
Weight loss
Risk factors for oral cancer include:
Tobacco use in any form
Excessive alcohol intake
Age (more than 95% of cases are over 40 years of age)
Gender (male to female ratio is 2:1)
Viruses (especially HPV, HIV, EBV, HSV)
Systemic diseases (like HCV, liver disease, syphilis, HIV, renal)
Thorough oral cancer screenings by us, your dental team, are essential in the early detection of
cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions. You may have a very small, but dangerous, oral spot or sore
and not be aware of it. During your maintenance examination, we will carefully inspect the inside of
your mouth and tongue looking for possible lesions. Although most things we may notice are
harmless, some are not. If you have a suspicious lesion, we will measure the area and decide if it is
important for you to follow up with an oral surgeon or when it is important for us to re-evaluate the
area. Your health and long life are very important to us!