DT News - Pakistan - Should I invest in Velscope?

Dr. Tayaba Khan

Wed. 23 April 2014

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Pakistan has one of the most prevalent cases of oral cancers in the world. Oral cancers have a very high mortality rate within the first five years of its detection. Lower socioeconomic classes in Pakistan are habitual chewers of betel nuts and tobacco. This increases the risk of developing trismus, oral leukoplakia and cancers in different parts of the mouth.

The detection of oral cancers is usually carried out during clinical examination when abnormal findings of persistent plaque or reddish areas are detected. Usually, detection at this part of the stage means that stage one has already passed, decreasing the risk of cancer recovery considerably. The white light examination is only able to reveal cancer stages that have become quite advanced. Still, regular oral and neck examination must be carried out to ensure no cancer case is missed. Luckily use of new technologies and materials can help detect cancers at very early stages.

VELscope is leader and pioneer at visual florescence technology which has been approved by FDA. Till now, over 10 million oral examinations have taken place, detecting different stages of cancer with highest precision and accuracy.

VELscope places a blue light into the oral cavity. The technique allows the light to shine through the normal structures and tissues, initiating self florescence in the cells. In cases where there is abnormal cellular activity, the area seems dark indicating hot zones. This is however, only first part or indicator of diagnosis. Proper diagnosis can only occur if oral biopsy takes place. Other conditions that show similar dark areas when shown florescent light include lichen planus, viral, bacterial and fungal infections.

VELscope is not the only technology to investigate suspicions lesions. Other famous light based detection systems include ViziLite Plus, Orascoptic DK and Microlux/DL. Velscope is an easy to integrate technology within multidisciplinary dental setups at cheaper cost, which is why it is preferred by many dental surgeons across the world.

Conditions which can be visualized during a light fluoroscopy exam include infections, inflammation due to different reasons, squamous papillomas, salivary gland tumors, cancer and precancer lesions and oral conditions.

The investment for fluoroscopy devices start from $2,000 onwards. These costs may be prohibitive for many small clinical setups in Pakistan. However, oral and dental hospitals working on larger patient population pool may make this investment giving a beneficial service to patients. It is important to note that oral cancers are prevalent in the lower socioeconomic classes of Pakistan though not exclusive to it. Such patients frequently visit government dental hospitals to seek dental care. If such description devices become part of the regular screening intervention, many cases of oral cancer can be diagnosed in earlier stages.

The dental students must efficiently be able to carry out head and neck examinations as standard part of oral clinical diagnostic routine. This will make them well learned about the technique, thereby increasing chances of detecting early cases of oral cancer. Senior dentists must make sure that they practice these examination techniques and enforce the same with their staff. The threat of oral cancer can be mitigated with this regular screening along with detailed consultations to patients about negative effects of betel nut, tobacco and alcohol on oral health.