It is best to get a comprehensive visual evaluation of your head and neck with your dentist. A thorough and tactical examination may help indicate early signs of oral or tonsil cancer before it progresses or worsens.
- Dental professionals contribute a broad range of services ranging from the patient’s physical evaluation and examination.
- The dentist will diagnose their findings with your previous health history, early awareness of symptoms, and appropriate images to specify treatment diagnosis.
- Potentially malignant disorder (PMDs), Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are diseases that can be detected during a CVTE of the head and neck.
- Early signs may be life-saving or extending to allow treatment and therapy.
- CVTE (conventional visual and tactile examination) is an assessment of the intraoral and extraoral tissues.
- CVTE (intraoral) is usually performed with normal dental lightening, dental mirror, cotton gauzes to manipulate the tongue, and periodontal probe to record abnormality dimensions.
- CVTE (extraoral) includes inspection of abnormal masses, skin color changes, evidence of ulceration, infection, or inflammation.
- Swollen lymph nodes or neoplasm are detections of deeper masses in the head and neck.
- Consider that up to 10% of dental patients already have oral mucosal or submucosal abnormalities.
- Oral cancers are often presented in older adults (male) with a previous smoking and alcohol history. In young adults, without risk factors, may develop lesions.
- Standard dental CVTE is essential to screen routinely on all patients whether there are visible symptoms or not.
