[kman42]

I went to the dentist this morning and they tried to get me to do an oral cancer screen with something called ViziLite. Are there any studies showing that this finds oral cancer earlier or more often than a regular visual inspection? It costs $65 and isn't covered by insurance.

Also, how often do you need dental x-rays. They have been taking them every six months since I have been going to this office (about 1.5 yrs). This seems excessive to me. Are they just trying to get higher reimbursements from my insurance company?

Thanks,
kman

[reader50]

I get the X-rays once a year (every other visit). Every six-month visit seems excessive ... unless, do they find a lot of cavities each visit? If you are prone, then catching them via X-ray is a lot better than leaving a few for an extra six months.

No idea on the ViziLite.

About your third question, do Dentists really administer mind-control substances during the procedures? I suppose it's possible.

[::maroma::]

Yeah, and whats with all these dentists with bad teeth? Its like having a doctor who smokes like a chimney. I never understood that.

[ort888]

Have you ever tried drilling your own tooth? It's hard, man.

[Rumor]

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This is pretty interesting concerning ViziLite.

This is probably the answer you are looking for though.

E.S. OH, and D.M. LASKIN, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, Richmond, USA
Early detection of oral cancer is crucial for improving survival rate. To improve early detection, the use of a dilute acetic acid rinse and observation under a chemiluminescent light (ViziLite® System) has been recommended. However, the contribution of each individual component has not been studied previously. Objective: To investigate the efficacy of the individual components of Vizilite® for improved visualization of early mucosal lesions. Methods: 93 patients ages 18-93 (mean age 44) who presented to the VCU School of Dentistry for patient screening were examined. There were 53 Caucasians, 28 African-Americans, 5 Hispanics, 5 Asians, and 2 of mixed ethnicity. Of the 35 males and 58 females, there were 33 smokers, 49 who used alcohol, and 23 who both smoked and drank. After written consent, the oral cavity was examined under incandescent light for soft tissue abnormalities. Following a 1% acetic acid rinse for one minute, the mouth was examined again for additional mucosal abnormalities. Then the oral tissues were examined for any further lesions using the Vizilite® System's chemiluminescent light. Any lesions detected by these three examinations that were undiagnosable were brush biopsied (Oral CDx®) for determination of cellular representation. Results: In the 93 patients originally examined, 33 clinically diagnosable benign lesions such as linea alba and leukoedema were detected, while 26 lesions were undiagnosable. Following the rinse, six additional diagnosable and two undiagnosable lesions were found. No additional lesions were detected with the chemiluminescent light. Of the 26 undiagnosable lesions that were brush biopsied, two were positive for atypical cellular characterization and warranted further investigation with a scalpel biopsy. Conclusion: Although the acid rinse accentuated some lesions, the overall detection rate was not significantly improved. The chemiluminescent light produced reflections that made visualization more difficult, and thus the ViziLite® System was not beneficial.

Efficacy of the ViziLite System in Identification of Oral Lesions

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by ort888 

Have you ever tried drilling your own tooth? It's hard, man.

You're telling me! Try brain surgery on yourself.

[Yose]

I goto a dentist who uses a new digital x-ray.. its like a digital camera.. there is no film, etc. apparently is uses a lot less radiation than the other kind of x-ray machines. I get it done every year, but I also go three times a year for cleanings.

[CMYKid]

is it really any harder than cutting your own hair straight in the back?