{"id":612,"date":"2019-04-14T23:09:53","date_gmt":"2019-04-14T23:09:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pvcompletedentistry.com\/blog\/?p=612"},"modified":"2019-05-14T23:10:28","modified_gmt":"2019-05-14T23:10:28","slug":"april-is-oral-cancer-awareness-month-have-you-had-a-screening-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pvcompletedentistry.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/april-is-oral-cancer-awareness-month-have-you-had-a-screening-2\/","title":{"rendered":"April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month! Have You Had a Screening?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Did you know that oral cancer affects 53,000 people every\nyear? According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, that\u2019s the number of Americans\nwho are diagnosed with the condition. Annually, about 10,000 people will die as\na result of the condition. With this in mind, it\u2019s more important than ever to\nget screened, even if you have no risk factors. Since April is Oral\nCancer Awareness Month<\/a>, now is the perfect time to get scheduled to see a\ndentist. To learn the signs and symptoms of oral cancer and other useful\ninformation, keep reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How Common is Oral Cancer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the American Cancer Society, oral cancer is\nconsidered to be the sixth most common form of cancer in the world. It should\nbe noted that the number one reason why people die from oral cancer is because\nof how often it\u2019s caught in the late stages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only 29 percent of oral cancer cases are caught early, which\nis when it is most treatable and in many cases even curable. However, many\npeople do not attend routine dental appointments and therefore don\u2019t catch the\ncondition until it\u2019s too late. When caught in the late stages, the 5-year\nsurvivability rate is as low as 34 percent. In contrast, when oral cancer is\ncaught early, the 5-year survivability rate is as high as 84 percent. It\u2019s just\nanother reason why it\u2019s important to commit to routine checkups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Often Do Dentists Check for Oral Cancer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most dentists will perform an oral cancer screening at least\nonce a year. If you are at higher risk of developing oral cancer, then you may\nneed your screening performed multiple times a year. For example, those who are\nover 45 years of age or male carry an increased risk overall, but you should\nalways take the dentist\u2019s recommendation. If you\u2019ve been attending routine\ncheckups for years, you may not have noticed the oral cancer screening was even\nhappening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do Dentists Look For?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dentists perform both a visual and physical examination for\nthe signs of oral cancer. The most common include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n