Why You Should Perform Oral Cancer Screenings on Every Dental Patient
With the right tools and the right approach, RDHs have the ability to catch oral cancer before it’s too late. This RDH gives every patient an oral cancer exam every time they're in her chair.
As a hygienist, my top priority is to keep patients healthy. One of the most important things I do to care for them is to screen for oral cancer. April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, but screening for oral cancer is something we should do all year long. This year, the American Cancer Society estimates that 54,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer, and nearly 11,000 people will die from it.
Those numbers are too high, especially when we have the tools at our disposal to catch oral cancer before it’s too late. I’m sure we would all rather tell a patient, “I found something, but we caught it early and we can take care of it,” and not, “I’m so sorry.” During my 11 years in dental hygiene, I’ve witnessed oral cancer screenings save countless lives. I want to make sure every hygienist knows how to talk to patients about oral cancer, how to perform the best possible screenings, and how to remove any barriers to screenings...
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As a hygienist, my top priority is to keep patients healthy. One of the most important things I do to care for them is to screen for oral cancer. April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, but screening for oral cancer is something we should do all year long. This year, the American Cancer Society estimates that 54,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer, and nearly 11,000 people will die from it.
Those numbers are too high, especially when we have the tools at our disposal to catch oral cancer before it’s too late. I’m sure we would all rather tell a patient, “I found something, but we caught it early and we can take care of it,” and not, “I’m so sorry.” During my 11 years in dental hygiene, I’ve witnessed oral cancer screenings save countless lives. I want to make sure every hygienist knows how to talk to patients about oral cancer, how to perform the best possible screenings, and how to remove any barriers to screenings...
Click Here to Read More