The mouth is a “window” which allows for better understanding of the person’s general health. A new study done in patients with head and neck cancer, has shown that a saliva test can detect the presence of cancer in 86% of the people examined. Since saliva is easy to collect, it can make a big difference for those at risk for oral cancer. The hope is that we will be able to administer a salivary test to smokers and other patients considered to be at high risk for oral and lung cancer in our office.
Since the research is under way in several centers in the United States, we cannot provide the screening test to our patients yet, but we will keep you updated and inform you once it is available.