Oral Cancer Screening

Park Royal Dentistry in Mississauga provides oral cancer screening with Identafi® device. Annual screening is recommended because oral cancer frequently has no symptoms.

Oral Cancer Risk By Patient’s Profile

– Sexually active patients (HPV 16/18). Exposure to the human papilloma virus is the fastest growing risk factor for oral cancer. This is the same virus that is responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancers in women. The virus presents a 5 fold increase in incidence under the age of 40, which means all patients over the age of 17 should be screened annually.
– Tobacco users;
– Patients aged 40 and older and lifestyle risk factors (tobacco or alcohol use);
– Patients with a history of oral cancer.

Signs and Symptoms of Oral Cancer

Oral cancer frequently has no symptoms. However, when symptoms do occur, the most common include:

– A sore, lump or ulcer on the lip or in the mouth that does not heal
– A lump on the lip or in the mouth A lump in the neck
– A white or red patch on the gums, tongue or lining of the mouth
– Unusual bleeding, pain or numbness in the mouth
– Oral pain that does not go away or a feeling that something is caught in the throat
– Difficulty or pain with chewing or swallowing
– Difficulty with jaw opening
– Swelling of the jaw that causes dentures to fit poorly or become uncomfortable
– Tooth loosening
– Bad breath
– Sensory loss of the face
– Abnormal taste in the mouth
– Swallowing difficulty
– Tongue problems

Annual Identafi® exams assist in the early detection of premalignant lesions and oral cancer. Oral cancer examination is able to identify suspicious areas at their earliest stages. Early detection of pre-cancerous tissue can minimize the potentially disfiguring effects of oral cancer. Identafi® oral cancer screening is an easy and painless examination.