Hi all,
I have to say from my point of view I share the frustration some have expressed about differences of opinion about Dentists (my colleagues). Jerry hits the nail right on the head when he stated,"Only the biopsy will tell."
Gary has been down a rough road with regard to dental care and knows what the standard of care is. He gives first hand experience and accurate information.
Brian has raised the bar and put the onus on Dental Professionals in his tireless efforts for professional and public awareness of OCC. I need only mention his post about working with professionals to issue a "Standard of Care." I, for one, support his effort in this project.
Unfortunatly, OC is misdiagnosed, undetected and ignored on a daily basis.
The VELscope, Vizilite, and brush biopsies are all tools that can aid in early detection and diagnosis of OC but, are secondary tools to the dentist taking a proper dental and medical history, asking about family history and conducting a thorough visual and palpation examination under good lighting with the aid of magnification. We were all taught how to do this. Often times Dentists overlook some of the examination. They do the extra-oral and visual examination of the easily accesible areas. To do a complete oral examination the tongue has to be held with a gauze and/or retractor and the base of the tongue, tonsillar pillars, and floor of the mouth all visually and digitally examined. The whole process doesn't take long. Photos can be taken to compare with the areas at a later date.
I tell my patients that if they develop a sore spot, a lump or bump, a red spot or a white spot, a painful area or anything that they feel is not normal to come and see me. I also tell them that any abnormal areas that appear and that don't disappear within 10-14 days should be investigated and not ignored.
I hope this is useful to some.

Cheers,
Mike