Oral cancer is a type of malignancy that begins in the oral cavity. This includes the lips, the inside of the lips and cheek, teeth and gums, the front portion of the tongue, the floor and roof of the mouth, the bony roof of the mouth , and the area behind the wisdom teeth. It is considered as the 8th most common cancer in men and ranks 14th among women all over the world.

Oral visual screening can reduce mortality in high risk individual, because of the easily detectable precancerous lesions. Visual inspection of the oral cavity is a simple, socially acceptable and accurate screening test for oral neoplasia.

Oral cancer screening is recommended at least once in a year. The areas of the mouth that are inspected are the floor of the mouth, the front and sides of the tongue, and the soft palate. The neck and face glands are also examined for swelling symptoms. If you consider yourself a high risk for oral cancer you should ask for an oral cancer screening.

Risk factors
Tobacco use: Tobacco can damage cells in the lining of the oral cavity and upper throat. Smokers are six times more likely than non smokers to develop oral cancer.

Excessive alcohol: Alcohol can damage cells inside your mouth and upper throat. About 75% - 80% of people with oral cancer are frequent drinkers of alcohol. The combination of alcohol and tobacco gives an added risk.  

Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light: this can damage the cells on your lips and increase your risk of lip cancer.  

Dentists look for oral cancer as part of routine dental examination. During the examination, the dentist visually inspects all the oral and gingival tissues, as well as high risk areas, for the presence of cancer or premalignant changes. When a dentist is screening for oral cancer, it usually takes just about 90 seconds. If the dentist suspects cancer, he or she will remove some of the tissue for evaluation. A suspicious lesion can be evaluated using several methods.   

Scalpel and punch tissue biopsy: Here a scalpel is used to obtain a sample of the lesion. When it comes to punch tissue biopsy, punch tool resembling a small cookie cutter is used to remove a section of the tissue.    

Brush biopsy: This technique is used for questionable lesions that are not obviously cancerous. Here a circular stiff-bristled brush is rotated against the surface of the lesion until pinpoint bleeding occurs. Cells are then collected from the area of bleeding and transferred to a glass slide for analysis.    
 
Mucosal staining: When a patient has oral surface abnormalities that are considered severe, the areas may be stained with a blue dye called toluidine blue O.  After the application, the patient rinses with an acetic acid solution and any blue stained area that remains indicates the need for further pathologic analysis of that area.    

Chemiluminescent light: This is a cost effective method of diagnosing oral lesions. Here the patient rinses with mild acid solution to minimize oral secretions, and then a chemiluminescent light will be inserted into the mouth. Precancerous cells will reflect the light. The atypical area will then be examined.     

SIGNS OF ORAL CANCER
You should contact your physician or dentist immediately about any of the following symptoms