VELscope® Oral Cancer Screening

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, more than 4,600 new cases of oral and throat cancers are diagnosed in Canada each year.
Oral cancer is often deemed the forgotten disease, because it kills more people than testicular cancer, cervical cancer and cancer of the brain each year and receives little publicity in return.
Without proper detection methods, a person may have oral cancer and not even know it.
In almost all cases of oral cancer, early detection plays a major role in a patient's chances of survival.
By diagnosing and treating oral cancer early, a patient's five-year survival rate is 80-90% greater.
VELscope® offers another examination tool to help detect oral cancer in its earliest stages.

VELscope® is a blue excitation lamp, which highlights precancerous and cancerous cell changes.
It is invasive, comfortable and safe.
Detects lesions, white and red patches
Detects problem areas that cannot be seen under white light
Exposes precancerous and cancerous tissue
Helps diagnose oral cancer in its earliest stages, exponentially increasing the chance of survival
Quick, painless examinations

VELscope® Screening

The VELscope® uses Fluorescence Visualization (FV) in an exciting new way.
Essentially, bright blue light is shone into the mouth to expose changes and lesions that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.
One of the biggest difficulties in diagnosing oral cancer is that its symptoms look similar to symptoms of less serious problems.
VELscope® offers insight as to what is happening beneath the surface.
The healthy soft tissue of the mouth naturally absorbs the VELscope® frequency of blue light.
Healthy areas beneath the surface of the soft tissue show up green, and the problem areas become much darker.

The VELscope® examination literally takes only two or three minutes.
It is a painless and non-invasive procedure that saves many lives every single year.
Initially, the hygienist will perform a regular visual examination of the whole lower face. This includes the glands, tongue, cheeks and palate as well as the teeth. Next a pre-rinse solution is swilled around the mouth for slightly less than a minute. The hygienist provides special eyewear to protect the integrity of the retinas. The lights in the room are dimmed to allow a clear view of the oral cavity.
The small VELscope® is bent to project blue light inside the mouth. Lesions and other indicators of oral cancer are easily noticeable because they appear much darker under the specialized light.
If symptoms are noted, the dentist may take a biopsy there and then to determine whether or not this is oral cancer. The results of the biopsy dictate the best course of action from there. Otherwise, another oral cancer screening is performed in one year’s time.
If you have any questions or concerns about oral cancer screening or VELscope®, please contact our office.