Never be afraid to speak your mind to me, I've got a thick skin (at least the part that wasn't radiated) and I am perfectly capable of defending my statements. Also this forum is intended to allow the free exchange of ideas, including calling on the carpet, someone who has posted something which is inaccurate or may hurt another person physically or mentally. So here is why I said what I said.

While your daughter is a prime example that there are no absolutes, STATISTICALLY speaking, 75% of all oral cancer patients are or have been tobacco users, most for long periods of their lives. The greatest risk factor for OC is still advanced age, since the vast majority of those who get this disease are over 55. Of the 25% that were not involved in tobacco use, over 85% of that 25% are still over the age of 40, (a study just about to be published) not in their twenties. The average dentist sees at least 3 lesions a day which mimic oral cancer but are not. Therefore, there are MILLIONS more of these non-malignant lesions occurring every year than the 30,000 oral cancers which strike people. If we sent everyone running to their doctor that had a lesion of some sort in their mouth, ringing the alarm about oral cancer, we would unnecessarily be panicking millions of people that do not have oral cancer. This does not serve them or us in our desire to help people. It is no help to someone to move them to action through unsubstantiated fear. We want to help them make good, fact-based decisions. This does not mean that I don