This is a follow-up to the topic "Not Sure" that developed in the "Symptoms & Diagnosis Forum.

It's great that there are so many members that want to get their local dentists starting to do thorough oral cancer screenings.

Two of the most helpful websites are as follows:

www.sextetscreening.org. This website was started by two OCF members, Barbara Boland and Eva Grayzel. By clicking on the "Dental Professionals" link on the home page a dentist can find 6 steps, with photos, showing how do to a visual and palpation exam.

The other site is, www.gotodds.com Specifically this link, http://66.148.2.226/miva/merchant.m...amp;Product_Code=25&Category_Code=09 will get the dentist to a page where they can purchase a DVD Package that icludes the DVD "Comprehensive Head & Neck Examination" as well as some handy Quick Guides showing the steps of the exam that are outlined in the DVD.

As far as the VELscope is concerned, their website, www.velscope.com will tell a dentist all that they want to know about the product. This is a $5,000 investment, with an ongoing cost for each examination. Considering the potential life saving ability provided by the light, it is an investment that any office could and should afford.

Colleen, as usual, makes some valid points and asks some excellent questions. An office that says they do an oral cancer screening, doesn't mean that are doing a thorough examination. Just looking is NOT enough. It requires palpation and the VELscope adds another layer of thoroughness.

Educating the public so that they are well informed and then demand that they receive a thorough oral cancer screening will go a long way in helping early detection.

In an ideal world, patients should feel confident that they are in good hands with their dentist and hygienist. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Way too many oral cancers go undetected and untreated. Many of our members are proof of this fact. However, on the flip side, many owe their lives to the dentists and hygienists that did take the correct action.

What I would like everyone to understand, is that in most patients, it is very difficult if not impossible to vizualize the tonsils fully. Also, it is impossible to fully vizualize the base of the tongue. Only a scope can do this. So if symptoms appear in these areas, an ENT is the only one that can fully examine these areas.

Please let me know if there is anything else that I may be able to shed some light on. I have mentioned before, that at this particular point in time, there are more members actively trying to advocate for oral cancer and early detection awareness, than any time during the 2 years that I have been a member. This is an admirable fact and one that I am thrilled to see.

Jerry

Hi Jerry -
I have been actively researching to understand the difference between a Vizilite and the VELscope, to no avail. I even emailed the VELscope company and asked that they provide a list of dentists who have purchased the VELscope system, but I never heard back from them. We are looking around for dentists here, but the one we settled on, has Vizilite but not VELscope. What is the difference? THANKS! JaneP

Hi Jane,

We used Vizilite for the last 2 years, but felt that VELscope gives us a higher level confidence. I have some of the technical information at my office and answers to many of the questions about the differences, there, too.

Since I work late tomorrow night, I'll try to get back to you before I go to sleep when I get home.

I know that Colleen was able to find the names of dentists using the light by calling them. The phone number is on their site. Unfortunately, there still are not a great many out there yet, but I believe they are selling a lot of them.

Jerry

The telephone number of the company led me to very helpful persons. I live in Central Louisiana, and I was told that the closes practioner to me with a Velscope is in Houston. I want to plan a public oral cancer screening, as well as a workshop for the dental community soon, and I have been in touch with the Velscope field rep. I don't know how many they have, but the wrong one called me back the first time, and he was supp. to have forwarded my request for info. to the one in charge of my area.

Just call the company and start asking questions.

Thanks Jerry and thanks Colleen - I will follow up. Warmly, Jane

So when I GO to the local dentist in our area with the brochures on oral cancer ..I can bring them the info on the velescope as well ! Right ! so maybe I can actually talk to the dentist and let them see the importance of the screening and I will get no benefit from this, as far as fiancial , just the satisfaction knowing that one person can be diag earlier. And maybe Because I am not the sales person they will listen to me !

Right on, Sharlee - What I am going to do after I get my questions and info all together is drop them off the the office and make it clear when I go for my teeth cleaning that I am going to pick a dentist that has the best qualifications for performing the most qualified oral cancer screening. The urls that Jerry posted above are awesome! There are detailed pictures and I'm printing out everything for both my dentist and periodontist. Going to ask them too if they know of any free oral cancer screenings in my area.

The Velscope website has good information that can be printed and taken to the dentist. ..attractive like a brochure

I am still trying to find information that is not too technical to explain the differences between ViziLite and the VELscope. I'm glad that the websites are helpful. I know that Brian has been very involved during the development and improvements in both systems and I hope he can find the time to help out here.

I think that there are many dental offices that are really not aware of the VELscope, since it is so new. I believe that this June will be one year since it was introduced for sale. I'm not sure that I would have known about it yet, if I weren't in the position that I am in right now.

It is great that all of you are so motivated to bring this information to your dentists. You are doing a great service to those patients that will be helped by the early detection that is possible through this device.

Jerry

I want to find the place where I saw that the Velscope was developed in teamwork with MDAnderson. I think that I read that, and if anyone finds it, please let me know where. That carries a lot of weight with professionals, of course. I also have read that MDA is working on a two-stage/two-device process that would be the next improvement in the process.