Oral Hygiene in Your Dental Practice

February is dental health month! Let's tell our dental patients! What things can you talk about as a dental team and to your patients during February's dental health month that will elevate the health of the patients' you treat? Are you checking for oral cancer? Do you consistently offer preventive, healing products to your patients?

When was the last time you visited the stats on oral cancer? Historically, the high risk oral cancer patient was a 65 year old male that was smoker, a drinker and used tobacco products. Today, that picture has dramatically changed. Now, the greatest incidence of those being diagnosed with oral cancer is women under 30! Years ago this was not the case. HPV16 is the game changer. How many of you have on your health history forms this question? Have you ever had an abnormal PAP? Or, have you ever been diagnosed as being a carrier of HPV16? If these answers are yes, these folks statistically are you high risk oral cancer patients!

According to the Oral Cancer foundation;

There are 100 persons diagnosed DAILY in the United States with Oral Cancer
One person dies every hour from Oral Cancer
Early detection = 95% survival rate
Late diagnosis = 45% death rate

The stages of Oral Cancer are;

Stage One – 1-2 cm lesion, the size of a pea; survival rate = 70%
Stage Two – 2-4 cm lesion, the size of a peanut; survival rate= 59%
Stage Three – 4-6 cm lesion, the size of a walnut; survival rate = 40%
Stage Four – 6cm lesion; survival rate= days to months to live

What can be done for prevention here? There are screening devices that are effective in early detection yet they have a cost to them. Just doing what you were trained to do with tactile senses on EVERY PATIENT EVERY TIME can make a difference in their life. If you charged for an annual oral cancer exam; and every patient said yes; the $40 charge on your 2000 patients you treat in one year can bring in 80K in preventive revenue! Is that Oral Cancer screening wand really that expensive? What about fluorides? The ADA endorses fluoride Varnish! It is the standard of care for ALL patients with teeth. How many of your patients receive this effective preventive treatment? Combine varnish with a 5000ppm take home dentrifice, with compliance, incipient decay will either stabilize or HEAL!! NO DRILLING!! From a revenue perspective, Varnish and Px Dentrifice can generate 80K in preventable income to your practice yearly.

Start Dental Health month with some new conversations and healthier patients!