Dr. Sanda Moldovan explains that oral cancer affects 40,000 people yearly, often caused by HPV, alcohol, or tobacco. A simple saliva DNA test done in dental offices can detect HPV before cancer develops. Check your mouth monthly for discolored patches or sores that don't heal.
Hi, everyone. I'm Dr. Sandha. You know, April is Oral Cancer Awareness Week. So I'd like to talk to you a little bit about oral cancer, because a lot of people don't know that it's such a common cancer. And just last year, we actually had 40,000 people that were suffering from oral cancer. So how do we get oral cancer? The two most common ways of getting it is alcohol and smoking and then really oral sex. What happens is during oral sex, we actually have this transfer of the human papillomavirus. It's actually the same virus that causes cervical cancer. Now, we do have a test in the dental office that we can diagnose whether or not you have that virus. It's called an oral DNA test, and it's a very simple swish of saliva. So this is actually some saline water, and we actually put it in your mouth. You swish around it for a good minute, you spit it in a test tube, it goes to the lab, and then we find out, yes, you have the virus or no, you don't. If you do have the virus, what happens is it predisposes you to oral cancer. So we have to be extra careful to check you every year for any kind of lesions. So if you're at home wondering if you have oral cancer, you could actually go look in the mirror and just look for any little discoloration in your gums, on your tongue, on your cheeks, even in the back of the throat. If you have a persistent sore throat, you better go have it checked out. We want to make sure that it's nothing serious. Do you remember Michael Douglas actually had throat cancer? And that's how it happened. He actually just had a persistent sore throat. And when he went to the doctor, it was throat cancer. And this condition could have been diagnosed much sooner if he would have gotten the oral DNA test in his dental office over there. So. So what can we do to avoid oral cancer? Quit smoking, drink less alcohol, and practice safe oral sex. Do you have any questions about oral cancers or you want to share a story? Go ahead and tweet me rsanda or send me a message@drsandamoldovan.com stay healthy until next time.
