SEER (Surveillance Epidemiology and End
Results) data demonstrates a decline in oral
cancer for tobacco related sites; however,
there is a strong trend towards an increase
in human papillomavirus (HPV) implicated
sites. How does this affect our methods of
screening for oral cancer and is the clinical
oral examination predictive of histologic
diagnosis at an early stage? Two-thirds of oral
squamous cell carcinomas are discovered at an
advanced stage with five year survival rates
impeded significantly; 82.3 percent when the
disease is discovered in stage I or II and only
33.5 percent when the cancer has metastasized.
This presents a call to action to elevate
our knowledge regarding examination of high
risk areas and explore adjunctive screening
methods to complement the traditional white
light examination.