New initiative provides oral-cancer screenings in Canadian pharmacies

All throughout April, Dental Products Report has preached the importance of treating every month like Oral Cancer Awareness month, and the big role dentists can play in raising awareness and screening for the disease.

Now more than ever, it's important that dentists discuss oral cancer with their patients. Even as Oral Cancer Awareness month winds down, concern about oral cancer is rising: Recent surveys have found that consumers want to learn more about oral cancer and are interested in simple, effective screening tools, and that making screening more easily accessible could provide huge benefits for patients.  

The top 5 reasons to really think about oral cancer

Now, dentists and dental hygienists in Canada are doing just that, and are providing free screenings at local drugstores, using the VELScope to examine patients' mouths and throats. The VELScope, winner of a Pride "Best of Class" award, is a minimally invasive oral assessment system that can be easily integrated into routine dental checkups.

Read more about the Canadian pilot program here: 

Oral-cancer screenings piloted at some Canadian pharmacies 

The program's creators hope that making screenings available without cost or appointment might encourage patients to be screened more frequently.