Today oral cancer screening has become a standard component of the dental examination. Routine check-ups that include a through and out examination of the entire oral cavity are crucial to timely detection of any cancerous or pre-cancerous conditions. Even a tiny yet persistent sore you weren’t aware of can pose a significant risk to your health.
Often a dentist will perform an intricate examination of the mouth and nearby regions, looking for flat, on most occasions – painless, white or red spot or minuscule sores. Even though for the majority of occasions these will turn out to be harmless and temporary, in some cases they’re forerunners of something more serious. The difference between the two can only be determined by medical tests. If it happens that you have a sore that signals a potentially dangerous condition, your dentist will invite you for a repeated check-up.
In the majority of cases, the dentist will stumble upon a spot that appears to be harmless and has no apparent cause. In order to determine whether the lesion poses any danger, the dentist will perform a brush test. In practice, this means collecting cells from the area and sending them for laboratory analysis. In case of discovering any cancer-related cells, you’ll be advised a surgical removal of the lesion. It has to be acknowledged that any abnormal or positive results derived from the test must be confirmed via histology and incisional biopsy.