Oral Cancer
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is the specialty of dentistry that includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and aesthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region.
One of the real dangers of this cancer, is that in its early stages, it can go unnoticed. It can be painless, and little in the way of physical changes may be obvious. Your dentist or doctor can see or feel the precursor tissue changes, or the actual cancer while it is still very small, or in its earliest stages.
Because there are so many benign tissue changes that occur normally in your mouth, and some things as simple as a bite on the inside of your cheek may mimic the look of a dangerous tissue change, it is important to have any sore or discolored area of your mouth, which does not heal within 14 days, looked at by a professional with an Oral Cancer screening.
The most important step in reducing the death rate from oral cancer is early discovery. No group has a better opportunity to have a positive impact on this than members of the dental community.
Informative links
- Oral Cancer Foundation
- Oral cancer information and resources for both the public, health care professionals and care givers.
- Oral cancer information and resources for both the public, health care professionals and care givers.
- National Cancer Institute
- Information about detection, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of oral cancer.
- American Dental Asociation
- This page provides current information about Oral Cancer as it relates to the public.
- American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
- Oral Cancer. Because the mouth is a region where changes can be easily seen, oral cancer can be detected in its early stages.