Dentists have always taken an important role in early cancer detection, since they are more likaly to see their patients more often than the physician.
In order to increase awarenes of the importance of early detection of cancer, I have written an article in VOXXI, an internet based newspaper/blog site.
Here is a copy of the article:
As general dentists we see patients that are healthy, feel fine and may not go to see their physician unless they get sick. Many individuals do not realize the importance of regular visits to the dentist to help them stay healthy.
One of the many services or added benefits that our office provides is oral cancer screening. As part of our initial and periodic exams, you may notice that Dr Boudet palpates your neck, looks at your throat, at the sides and under your tongue, and many other areas of your mouth that are not just the teeth.
As a Dentist in West palm beach , Dr Carlos Boudet has been providing these services to the community for almost three decades now and in that time has been able to keep his patients healthy by detecting many lesions that would have gone undetected and untreated, resulting in more severe problems for the patient.
Cancer awarenes month was created to make individuals aware of the benefits of early detection. Dentists are in a position that allows them to detect oral cancer lesions early and this makes a big difference in the treatment of oral cancer. Some oral cancer is very agressive and if not detected early can result in damage that can leave the patient disfigured and totally change his quality of life. The same cancer detected early can prevent those disfiguring surgeries and make a tremendous difference in the life of a person.
The most common causes of oral cancer were listed as tobacco and alcohol, but recent research has found a link between the human papilloma virus (HPV) and cancer. The papilloma virus is a virus that produces papillomas or "warts" in squamous epithelial cells that cover the surfaces of many areas of the body, such as the inside of the mouth. Most papilloma viruses produce the benign warts, but there are several of these viruses that are "high risk" because they produce the pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions. The cancerous warts cannot be distinguished from the benign ones by simple visual observation, and the dentist needs to remove the lesion and send it to a pathology laboratory to be looked at under the microscope. A trained pathologist then makes the final diagnosis.
As part of the of modern technology that we have incorporated in our office, we can now detect and remove these lesions with the use of the dental laser in a manner that is most comfortable for the patient. the removal is done without a scalpel, does not need sutures or stitches and results in faster, more comfortable healing for the patient.
Scientists working in biological research have developed two vaccines for the most common cancer producing human papilloma viruses. You may want to go to the american cancer society website if you would like to read about the proposed guidelines for recommending and administering the vaccines. They also have information about the individuals at a higher risk, the cost of the vaccine, insurance coverage and how it is administered.
Yours for healthy living,
West Palm Beach Dentist
Carlos Boudet, DDS
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