Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kaylyn Kendall Dines
(973) 972-7276
www.umdnj.edu
E-mail: dineskd@umdnj.edu

Free Oral Cancer Screenings Offered at UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School

4/1/05—Adults are invited to visit the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) for free oral cancer screenings on Thursday, April 7. Volunteer dental professionals from the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School will host screenings from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 50 Twelfth Avenue, Newark, and from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 13 Somerdale Square, Somerdale.

Individuals who attend the screening will receive a comprehensive painless oral cancer examination. Dentists will obtain a sample of cells using the CDx brush biopsy system, which is manufactured by Oral Scan Laboratories, in Suffern, N.Y.

The attending dentist will place the tissue specimen from the brush on a clear slide which then will be sent to a laboratory for analysis. Referrals for a traditional biopsy will be made if abnormal results are detected.

The dentists will be assisted by dental hygienists from the UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions.

Dr. Cecile Feldman, dean at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School, said, "Oral cancer is generally painless in the early stage and may not be noticeable. Early lesions may appear as subtle alterations in the color of the lining in the mouth. Oral cancer, like other cancers, is treatable and the cure rate is high when detected early."

Men are twice as likely as women to be diagnosed with oral cancer. While the five-year survival rate for white men is 50 percent, the rate for black men is only 31 percent.

Dr. Arnold Rosenheck, assistant dean for hospital affairs at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School, said, "Unfortunately, one American dies every hour from oral cancer. The positive news is that early detection plays a significant role in a patient's success rate in fighting the disease. Research from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows survival rates are as high as 80 percent when detected early compared with 17 percent or less when the disease is detected in the later stages."

The UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School is a member of the Oral Cancer Consortium, which consists of 29 health care institutions and professional organizations in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The Consortium was established to educate the public and health care providers about the importance of detecting oral cancer in an early stage.

UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School (Oral Health Pavilion)
50 Twelfth Avenue, Newark, New Jersey
973-972-4506

UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School/University Dental Center
13 Somerdale Square, Somerdale, New Jersey
856-566-6969

Call 1-877-263-3401 to locate additional screenings.

--April 1, 2005