Brian,

I promote Vizilite, not as the perfect answer, but as a screening device, something better than what we had before. I recommend that if something shows up, the doctors follow it up with a brush biopsy, which is diagnostic. I think anything that makes the doctors and hygienists take a second look is worth doing. I agree that the hygienists (being one myself) are the most likely team members to identify early tissue changes because they spend the most time with the patients, they see the same patients every six months (usually), and they are trained to identify subtle differences in tissue texture and color when evaluating periodontal health. The problem I find with referring patients up the food chain for biopsy is that too often they are told that what they have been referred for is "nothing". It happened to me and if not for my own professional knowledge and persistence I would never have been treated at Stage 1.

Barb