VisiLite Plus

There is one step in your dental visits that you can’t live without Oral Cancer Screening. Dr. Leafe recommends an annual oral cancer VisiLite Plus oral cancer screening exam, which uses technology found successful in identifying pre-cancerous and cancerous abnormalities. Early diagnosis allows for easier, less invasive treatment, which is 70% more successful. Virtually everyone is at risk for oral cancer. Those with increased risk are patients age 18-39 who are sexually active (HPV16/18) without lifestyle risk factors (tobacco use, chronic alcohol use – 2 ounces of alcohol 3 times per week and HPV and sexually active patients). Those with high risk are patients older than 40 years without lifestyle risk factors and tobacco users of any age, any type. And those with the highest risk are patients 40 years and older with lifestyle risk factors and history of oral cancer.

FACTS:

• One American dies every hour from oral cancer.
• 25% of oral cancers occur in people who don’t smoke and have no other lifestyle risk factors.
• The human papilloma virus (HPV) is an extremely common sexually transmitted infection and especially prevalent in young adults. Few people even know they have it. HPV causes cervical cancer and studies suggest that it plays a role in more than 20% of oral cancer cases.