Dr. Helaine Smith, a Boston-based dentist and a consumer advocate, has produced a YouTube video demonstrating the ease of screening patients for oral cancer. With the video, titled Dr. Helaine Smith Demonstrates ViziLite Plus Oral Cancer Screening, Dr. Smith hopes to educate young women about the importance of oral cancer screening. The video is below:

Over 25% of the 34,000 Americans diagnosed with oral cancer die of the disease, which claims more lives than melanoma and cervical cancer. The death rate for oral cancer is relatively high because the disease is not detected early enough.

According to Dr. Smith, dentists are on the frontline of the fight against this deadly cancer by virtue of the fact that they see patients’ mouths on a regular basis and because they now have various diagnostic tools to help them with the early detection of oral cancer.

One tool, FDA-approved ViziLite Plus, is a chemiluminescent light source used in conjunction with a blue phenothiazine dye that helps dentists detect potentially cancerous lesions.

“Recent media reports have portrayed young women with oral cancer who had no idea how or why they were ‘singled’ out. I want to educate young women that they can easily get screened for oral cancer – simply by visiting the dentist. Due to the suspected link between oral cancer and the human papilloma virus (HPV), it is imperative that anyone who is sexually active get tested. Throat cancer is successfully treated in 90% of cases when detected early.”

The ViziLite test takes approximately a minute to perform. After the patient swishes the solution in the mouth, the dentist then shines a light in the patient’s mouth. If the patient has any lesions, they will show up under the light because the malignant cells glow.

Oral cancer treatment often results in disfiguring effects on patients, and can seriously compromise their quality of life. Early detection and diagnosis can make a tremendous difference in life expectancy. Unfortunately, 70% of oral cancers are diagnosed in the late stages, III and IV, leading to a five-year survival rate of 57%.