Oral Cancer Screening in New Jersey

Would you feel comfortable if your physician did not listen to your heart and lungs during a routine medical exam?   Similarly shouldn’t you expect your dentist to screen you routinely for oral cancer?

DID YOU KNOW THAT ONLY 14% OF DENTIST’S PERFORM ALL ASPECTS OF THE INTRA-ORAL EXAMINATION?

• More than 34,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer each year
• Oral cancer kills as many Americans as melanoma and twice as many as cervical cancers
• Over 25% of victims do not smoke or drink excessively
• Studies show increases in women, young people and non-smokers
• IT IS THE MOST DEFORMING OF ALL CANCERS
• There is an HPV link

Main Problem is Late Detection

Dentists have either neglected to look for tissue changes in the mouth or have “watched” lesions.   Many times this wait and watch strategy leads to disaster.

Painless red or white spots appear in advance to cancer formation.  These spots are mostly benign and harmless but up to 4% of these lesions may contain pre-cancerous cells.

• Every oral cancer begins with a small visible red or white tissue change appearing as a spot
• The use of Pap smears helps to detect and leads to early cure of cervical cancer
• Colonoscopy has been accepted as necessary to detect and cure colon cancer
• Fortunately, there is a simple painless brush biopsy test to evaluate tissue changes in the oral cavity
• Less than 15% of dentists perform even a basic oral cancer examination.  Does yours?

No one has microscopic vision.  A thorough medical history and oral exam are supremely important to protect a patient’s health.   Dr. Sternberg examines all his patients on a regular basis in order to make sure all is normal.  If he sees or feels something unusual or abnormal, he may perform a simple comfortable non-invasive brush test.  Any suspicious area is rubbed with a small pipe cleaner-like brush.  Cells from the brush are spread on a slide and sent to a laboratory for diagnosis.  Cellular diagnosis is made from the brushed sample.

Early detection can lead to a cure!  Non-detection can be catastrophic.  Dr. Sternberg has detected during these examinations problems that have been treated early and helped his patients regain and maintain their health.  He sees his patients as a complete, not just teeth un-connected to a human being.  A thorough dentist practices oral medicine and prevention.