Oral Cancer Screening

According to the American Cancer Society, over 30,000 cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year, with over 7000 of these cases resulting in the death of the patient. Fortunately, oral cancer can be diagnosed with an annual cancer exam provided by Dr. Robins. If caught early, oral cancer can be effectively treated.

Oral cancer is a pathologic process, which begins by producing no symptoms making it hard to recognize without an exam. There are many types of oral cancer, including teratoma, adenocarcinoma and melanoma. The most common form of oral cancer is malignant squamous cell carcinoma, which typically originates in the lip and mouth tissue. There are many other places in which oral cancers occur, including: the tongue, salivary glands, throat, gums, and face.

What to Expect

During the head and neck examination, you will be visually screened for unusual changes to the various tissues in and around the mouth. We have incorporated OralID into our oral screening standard of care.  We find that OralID along with a standard oral cancer examination improves the ability to identify suspicious areas at their earliest stages.  OralID is similar to proven early detection procedures for other cancers such as mammography, Pap smear, and PSA.  OralID is a simple and painless examination that gives the best chance to find any oral abnormalities at the earliest possible stage.  Early detection of pre-cancerous tissue can minimize or eliminate the potentially disfiguring effects of oral cancer and possibly save your life.