No-Cost Oral Cancer Screenings Planned for April “Oral Cancer Awareness Week”

EVENT DATES: Friday, April 10 and Friday, April 24

Awbrey Dental Group Shares Leading-Edge Oral Cancer Screening Technology With Central Oregon

Awbrey Dental Group in Bend has invested in the region’s first VELscope early cancer screening system and will share this technology with the local community by offering free oral cancer screenings on Friday, April 10 and Friday, April 24. The Oral Cancer Foundation designated April 13-19 as “Oral Cancer Awareness Week,” and screenings are planned across the Unites States, as well as Australia.

More than 30,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer annually in the United States, and one person dies of oral cancer every hour of every day in America. However, if detected early oral cancer is 90% survivable.

“We’ve always conducted an annual comprehensive oral cancer screening for all of our patients,” explains Dr. Peter Yonan, who is in practice with Dr. Anne Scott and Dr. Jill Schroeder at Awbrey Dental Group. “The VELscope System allows us to see things we’ve been unable to see previously. By detecting potential problems earlier, we’ll be providing members of our Central Oregon community with the best oral health care currently available.”

Recently approved by the FDA, the VELscope system is a revolutionary hand-held device that provides dentists and hygienists with a new tool to aid in early oral cancer detection. The VELscope examination is a non-invasive, painless procedure that takes only a few minutes. The dentist shines a blue light into the mouth to cause it to fluoresce. This fluorescence helps the dentist visualize abnormal tissue, which may be, or may lead to, oral cancer.

For more about oral cancer, visit the Oral Cancer Foundation at www.oralcancerfoundation.org.

Non-invasive, completely painless VELscope screenings take just a few minutes and will be performed by Dr. Yonan, Dr. Scott and their associate, Dr. Jill Schroeder. To schedule an appointment for a free VELscope oral cancer screening, call Awbrey Dental Group at 541-383-0754.