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Most people are surprised to learn that one American dies every hour from oral cancer; a death rate that has remained virtually unchanged for more than 40 years. In fact, recent statistics published by the American Cancer Society indicate that while the incidence and death rates for cancers overall has decreased, the incidence of oral cancer has increased by 5.5% and the death rate has increased by 1.5%

Oral cancer is far too often discovered in late stage development, the primary reason for the consistently high death rate. Oral cancer treatment often results in disfiguring effects on patients, and can seriously compromise their quality of life. Early detection and diagnosis can make a tremendous difference in life expectancy; oral cancer is 90% curable when found in its early stages. Unfortunately, 70% of oral cancers are diagnosed in the late stages, III and IV, leading to a five-year survival rate of 57%.

ViziLite Plus is an oral lesion identification system that is used as an adjunct to the conventional head and neck examination. It is comprised of a chemiluminescent light source (ViziLite) to improve the identification of lesions.

Examination of the Oral Cavity with ViziLite

Examination of the oral cavity under chemiluminescent light (ViziLite) after rinsing with a dilute acetic acid solution, abnormal squamous epithelium tissue will appear distinctly white. Lumenoscopy^TM has demonstrated in numerous studies to improve the ability to visualize mucosal lesions and initially identify clinically suspicious lesions. 

With a 1-minute rinse with a special acidic solution beforehand, the Vizilite illumination helps detect these early signs of tissue changes, so they can be evaluated for potentially life-threatening cancers.

Just another way that advances in technology and science are helping to improve Dentistry every day.

Dr. Crosby