|
RUSSIAN AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION AND NYC OF
TECHNOLOGY
OFFER FIRST ANNUAL FREE ORAL CANCER SCREENING
Brooklyn, NY -- October 18, 2008
-- The
Russian American Dental Association (RADA), a nonprofit
society of dental professionals, in conjunction with the
New York City College of Technology (City Tech) will
hold its First Annual Oral Cancer Screening on
Tuesday, November
18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on the
College’s campus at 300 Jay Street (at Tillary), in
Downtown Brooklyn. The event is free and open to the
public.
Patients will receive a free 15-minute oral cancer
screening exam. Those suspected of having oral cancer
and a known disparity in
access to healthcare services will be referred
for a biopsy -- which will be paid in full by RADA. Oral
pathologists, dentists, oral surgeons, ear, nose and
throat (ENT) surgeons, dental hygienists and dental
hygiene students will be present during the screening to
assist patients.
The event will be headed by Dr. Gwen Brown, DDS,
a City Tech Dental Hygiene professor and an oral
pathologist who is director of RADA’s Oral Cancer and
Smoking Cessation Program. “The day has been designed to
create an awareness of the importance of oral cancer
screening for early detection, says Dr. Brown. “Recent
studies have proven that periodic
examination and new, painless testing methods can help
detect oral cancer -- a disease that kills more
Americans than either melanoma or cervical cancer.”
RADA’s
First Annual Free Oral Cancer Screening is part of a
larger campaign recently launched by RADA. It includes
lectures and seminars on oral cancer and early detection
for dental and medical professionals, oral cancer
screenings, self-check tips for patients, smoking
cessation education, fundraising and contests held for
children emphasizing smoking’s harmful effects. “Oral
cancer research has always been my greatest dedication,”
states RADA’s President Dr. Rada Sumareva, DDS. “I
strongly believe that it is crucial that the importance
of oral cancer screening be communicated to the general
public and medical professionals.”
Unfortunately, less than 20% of oral health
providers perform oral cancer screening, according to
American Cancer Society statistics; most dentists do not
perform oral cancer screening routinely, unless
requested by their patients. And most patients --because
of a lack of knowledge about the disease -- fail to
inquire about oral cancer exams. However, early
detection of oral cancer greatly improves the success of
treatment outcome and increases life expectancy. A trial
pilot program implemented last year by RADA and City
Tech confirmed the need for an annual oral screening.
Several patients were discovered to have
suspicious lesions and were promptly referred for
further diagnoses and/or treatments.
The importance of early detection cannot be
overstated. Approximately 35,310 new cases of oral
cancer will be diagnosed in the US this year alone, and
an estimated 7,590 people will die from the disease,
according to the American Cancer Society data. Oral
cancer is defined as cancer of the mouth and pharynx.
Individuals who both smoke and drink are 15 times more
likely to develop oral cancer than those who don’t. Of
those newly-diagnosed individuals, only half will be
alive in five years. The death rate associated with oral
cancer is so high because
lesions are typically discovered at a late stage. Early
diagnosis is
associated with better prognosis and decreased
treatment-related disfigurement.
Russian American Dental Association
(RADA),
www.russiandentists.org,
is a national nonprofit organization with 501c (3)
charity status. RADA is devoted to humanitarian
and
community work, as well as assisting dental
professionals in their career goals, and providing
education and research in the dental field.
RADA sponsors and organizes charity events, holds
medical professional conferences, offers Continuing
Education courses and advises practitioners and
organizations on the medical profession.
The
Department of Dental Hygiene at New York City College of
Technology,
www.citytech.cuny.edu,
features a highly-qualified faculty of dentists and
dental hygienists with extensive knowledge and skills in
dentistry. The program offers courses in oral anatomy,
microbiology, dental pharmacology and nutrition. It also
offers specialized courses in dental radiology,
periodontics, and dental materials, and incorporates
community health and clinical training.
Students participate in the hands-on treatment of
patients with various dental conditions in the school’s
50-chair dental hygiene care clinic.
|
