Screening for Oral Cancer

Mouth and throat cancers are on the rise. And the number one cause of these types of cancers is not from smoking, and not from alcohol use. These used to be the most common causes, but times have changed. Nowadays, the number one cause of oral cancer is from the HPV virus.

 

So what is the HPV virus?

According to recent studies, 79 million Americans are presently living with the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The number of people who have oral HPV has continuously increased over the past three decades. The CDC says nearly everyone will get a form of HPV at some point in their lives, and about 14 million Americans, including teens, become infected each year. It is more common in men than women.

There are low-risk HPV types which have a low association with cancer, but these can lead to genital warts or oral papillomas.

And there are high-risk HPV types which can cause cell changes and pre-cancers. The most common high-risk HPV types include HPV 16 and 18. These contribute to chronic, or long-lasting infections that can convert to cancer over time.

 

So how does one acquire the HPV virus?

Oral HPV occurs when the virus enters the body, usually through a cut or small tear inside of the mouth. According to the CDC, these are the most common risk factors:

 

• Oral sex. Evidence suggests that an increase in oral sexual activity may be a risk, with men being more at risk, especially if they smoke.

• Multiple partners. Having multiple sexual partners may increase your risk. According to the Cleveland Clinic, having more than 20 sexual partners over your lifetime can increase your chances of getting an oral HPV infection by up to 20 percent.

• Smoking. Smoking has been shown to help promote HPV invasion. Inhaling hot smoke makes you more vulnerable to tears and cuts in the mouth, and is also a risk factor for developing oral cancers.

• Drinking alcohol. Research has indicated that a high intake of alcohol increases the risk for HPV infections in men. If you smoke and drink, you’re at an even higher risk.

• Open mouth kissing. Some research has said that open mouth kissing is a risk factor, as it can be transmitted from mouth to mouth, but more research is necessary to determine if this increases your risk for oral HPV.

• Being male. Men have a greater risk of receiving an oral HPV diagnosis than women.

• Age. It’s more common in older adults because it takes years to develop.

All these factors together can create the worst scenario for developing oral cancer. And this is how the actor Michael Douglas believes he developed his Stage 4 oral cancer back in 2010. You can read about him here.

In the past, it has been difficult to diagnose oral HPV, until a (cancer) lesion was actually present. But now there is a simple painless Saliva Test that can be done in your dentist’s office to see if HPV is present, and which types, if any. The prognosis is excellent if HPV is discovered early, before the cancer develops.

At your next dental visit, be sure to ask for this simple diagnostic screening test. With proper health care, most oral HPV infections will go away on their own without treatment. But you would need to know its presence before taking steps to eradicate it.

Finding Natural Health Information on the Internet

In case you haven’t noticed, it is getting more and more difficult to find natural health information through the usual search engines. In June 2019, Google began a new algorithm to change ranking results in their search engine. Many “holistic” and “natural” websites have been excluded from the page one listings thereby making it more difficult to find the health information and/or practitioner that you are seeking.

Some of the most popular sites, such as Dr Mercola, Dr. Axe and even IAOMT, cannot be found on page one when searching for information on holistic medicine or dentistry. In some cases, they cannot be found at all, unless you specifically look up their website. Even with that, some pages of these wbsites have been blocked to keep specific information out of the public knowledge. This seems to be particularly happening with ant-vaccine sites. Mike Adams at Natural News wrote an interesting commentary on this here.

In addition, QuackWatch seems to consistently come up on page 1 of Google search, which further undermines alternative/holistic health issues.

It seems that the only way to get around this is to use a different search engine. There are many to choose from, but I am personally using DuckDuckGo with good comprehensive results.

Feel free to share any information in the Comment section below that may be useful for those looking for answers.

Genetic Testing for Gum Disease and Oral Cancer

The link between genetics and degenerative diseases has become a focal point in the medical field.
DNA testing for Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, diabetes, etc. is fairly common nowadays; and the addition of new types of genetic testing is mounting.

Cross over to dentistry, and let’s see what’s available. Presently, in New York State, the dentist is now allowed to test for genetic markers in saliva for periodontal disease and oral cancer (from HPV). Both are relatively simple and painless tests. No needles, no drills, no blood. Just rinse with a saline (salt) solution and spit into a test tube. One week later, your results are in.

So why is this important? Well, if you have the genetic markers for gum disease, you really don’t want to postpone periodontal care. Losing teeth is never a good thing (can’t smile and can’t eat) and it will be expensive to replace missing teeth with implants or dentures. Best to diagnose it before it is symptomatic to prevent it from manifesting.

As for the genetic oral cancer test, it is good to know which HPV gene you have if any (there are 51 HPV types tested in the saliva analysis), so that you can be proactive in eradicating it BEFORE oral cancer strikes.

According to a new study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, nationwide rates for oral HPV infections are 11.5% of men and 3.2% of women. That’s 11 million men, compared with 3.2 million women. That means that about one in nine American men is infected with the oral form of human papillomavirus (HPV).

Genetic testing for the prevention and treatment of periodontal disease, as well as the assessment for oral cancer susceptibility, allows for a personalized approach to holistic preventive health care.

Bear in mind that that nearly all oral diseases cause absolutely no pain until they are quite advanced. This includes tooth decay, periodontal disease, and oral cancer. Oral cancer occurs more frequently than most other common cancers. Due to late diagnosis, about half of the nearly 50,000 patients diagnosed every year with oral cancer in the U.S. will die of their disease. The only positive way to impact this devastating outcome is with yearly physical examination of the oral cavity, head, and neck. Saliva genetic analysis may just save your life.

Be sure to ask for you saliva genetic testing at your next visit.