Oral Cancer Screening

Straits Area Dental is pleased to offer advanced oral cancer screen using VELscope® blue-light technology.

Many lesions are difficult or even impossible to see under normal white light. VELscope allows an examiner to spot dangerous cancerous lesions early, which vastly increases the chance of successful treatment.

How VELscope Works

VELscope shines a special blue light inside your mouth.

Normal tissue reflects the light back in a bright, apple-green shade. Cancerous tissue, on the other hand, appears dark and easily noticeable. Even when no abnormal tissue is visible under white light, VELscope's light makes the cancerous tissue visible to the examiner's eye. Click here for an example.

Facts About Oral Cancer

  • Oral cancer has three times as many victims as cervical cancer.
  • One person in North America dies of oral cancer every hour of every day.
  • Risk factors include tobacco use, alcohol use, diets low in fruts and vegetables, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, exposure to HPV (human papillomaviruses).
  • The biggest growth in oral cancer is among nonsmokers and the main cause is HPV.
  • When caught early (at or before Stage 1), the survival rate is over 90%.