Researchers from the U.S. have developed a simple saliva test that may improve oral cancer diagnostics significantly. Once the device has been approved by the FDA, they hope that the low-cost product will form part of annual routine dental exams and benefit patients with limited access to health care in particular.
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Nicki Rowland, Practice Manager at Perfect 32 Dental Practice in Beverley, was invited to be a consultant for the Mouth Cancer Foundation in light of her work to raise public awareness of mouth cancer and the mouth cancer screening service offered at the practice. Regular smokers are more likely to develop mood and anxiety disorders. That's according to new research, which suggests the traditional belief among smokers that their habit helps to relax them may not be entirely accurate. MANCHESTER, UK: A woman from Manchester has sued her dentist for failing to diagnose her oral cancer. The 58-year-old was referred to the dentist for regular check-ups after she had developed a white patch on her gingiva. When he eventually referred her to the hospital after several appointments, the doctors diagnosed her with “seriously invasive cancer”. According to a recent study, individuals heavily consuming alcohol are 3 times more likely to have severe gum disease, unlike occasional drinkers. More about the study appear in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology. The study also indicated that the combination of alcoholism and smoking can result in higher risk for severe gum disease. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is suggesting that dental care professionals should play a greater role in increasing awareness of the risks of smokeless tobacco. This product is widely used by people of South Asian origin in the UK. In a recently published study, a new radiotherapy system that lowers the radiation delivered to healthy tissue was assessed. The new system offers an additional option for the treatment of oral cancer as well as cancer of the pharynx. Dentalez, has recently introduced its ‘Identafi’ multi-spectral oral cancer screening device. Identifi was developed originally by Trimira, a subsidiary of Remicalm LLC which makes biomedical and bio-optic technology products. The Trimira Identafi 3000 unit was bought by DentalEZgroup to be marketed under the StarDental brand as Identifi. In a recent systematic review, S Syrjanen and colleagues from multiple departments of Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology, conclude that there is an association between oral cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) and other potentially malignant disorders such as oral leukoplakia, oral lichen planus, and epithelial dysplasia with the human papillomavirus (S syrjanen, et al, Human papillomaviruses in oral carcinoma and potentially malignant disorders: a systemic review. Oral Diseases, 2011; 17(Suppl.1):58-72). The British Dental Association (BDA) announced that it will organize a new training course to improve dentists’ skills in diagnosing oral pre-cancer and cancer. BDA is hoping that with additional training more patients will be better diagnosed and perhaps saved from the full development of oral cancer and its destructive aftermath. |