A dentist or medical professional will check you for cancer symptoms or precancerous issues in your mouth during an oral cancer screening. Detecting mouth cancer at its earliest stages, when there is a greater likelihood of a cure, is the primary goal of oral cancer screening.

During a usual dental visit, most dentists examine your mouth for oral cancer. To help find areas of abnormal cells in your mouth, a Mooresville general dentist could do additional tests.

Early detection and awareness of oral cancer

Not all organizations agree on the advantages of a dental examination for oral cancer screening because no studies have proven that it saves lives. While some organizations advise screening, others say there needs to be more data to support their recommendation.

Studies have not clearly proven the value of oral cancer screening; however, people at a higher risk of developing the cancer may benefit more from it. Below are some factors that may raise the likelihood of mouth cancer:

• Prior oral cancer diagnosis
• Heavy alcohol consumption
• Use of tobacco of any kind, like cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, snuff, etc.
• Exposure to the sun increases the risk of lip cancer.

Risks

A few conditions apply to dental exams used for screening for oral cancer, such as:

• Testing may be required after an oral cancer screening. Many people encounter oral sores, and most are not malignant. Not all oral exams can identify malignant sores from non-cancerous ones.
• Not all mouth cancers can be detected through oral cancer screening. You may overlook tiny cancer or malignant lesions since it can be challenging to recognize abnormal cell regions just by looking at your mouth.
• It has not been shown that oral cancer screening saves lives. There is no proof screening patients for oral cancer regularly can reduce the number of oral cancer-related deaths. Oral cancer screening, however, can help detect tumors early when a cure is more possible.

What you can expect

Your dentist examines the inside of your mouth during an oral cancer screening examination to look for sores or red or white areas. Your dentist will also feel the connective tissue in your mouth with gloved hands to look for lumps or additional defects. The dentist may also check for lumps in your neck and throat. Some tests can be performed, which are mentioned below:

• Oral cancer screening dye

Use a special blue dental rinse before an exam. Abnormal cells in your mouth can absorb the dye and turn blue.

• Oral cancer screening light

Placing a light in your mouth while you are being examined. Abnormal tissue looks white, whereas good tissue looks black because of the light.