Oral Cancer Screening Being Available at Select Pharmacies

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB), April 30, 2015 - Princeview Dental (www.princeviewdental.com), one of Etobicoke’s premier dental clinics, is reacting to oral cancer screenings being made available at select pharmacies.

In an effort to combat oral cancer through early detection, dentists in British Columbia are teaming up with select London Drugs locations to offer free oral cancer screening to patients. (Source: Fayerman, P., “Oral cancer screening to be available at some pharmacies,” Vancouver Sun web site, April 7, 2015; http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Oral+cancer+screening+available+some+pharmacies/10950236/story.html.)

“The key to better treating any cancer is by detecting the cells as early as possible,” says Dr. Janice Mummery, founder of Princeview Dental. “This partnership by the dentists in B.C. is an innovative solution to early detection at no cost to the patient. It’s obviously too early to tell if this initiative will be successful, but the intention is sound and so we hope this is something that produces positive results.”

The pilot will see dentists on site at these pharmacies using what is called a VELscope (visually enhanced lesion scope) to test patients for precancerous and cancerous indications. If something abnormal is found during the screening, patients are then instructed to visit their regular dentists or are referred to a specialist for further tests.

“This is a program that can save lives,” Dr. Mummery continues. “If enough pharmacies and enough dentists get on board, and a proper system is followed, then there’s nothing stopping this from spreading across Canada. And the best part to me is that this is really patient-focused with all of the benefits geared towards their health and well-being, without having to pay out of pocket.”

Dr. Mummery says this initiative is in line with the changing roles of dentistry. The industry seeks to do more than just fix teeth by playing a more significant role in overall health and preventing diseases, both oral and otherwise, within the scope of their training.

“We can and are doing more. Princeview Dental is one of those dental clinics that is not opposed to change if it helps our patients. We welcome all of these innovations and the added responsibility of doing more for our patients than just cleaning their teeth,” Dr. Mummery concludes.

Princeview Dental serves residents of Etobicoke. They have been helping families in the Kingsway community with healthy dental care for over 20 years. For more information, visit Princeview Dental’s web site at www.PrinceviewDental.com.