As baseball season begins, Mass. Dental Society urges Sharonites to open wide for oral cancer screeenings

With the start of the 2014 baseball season just a few weeks away, the Massachusetts Dental Society(MDS) is reminding Massachusetts residents about the dangers of smokeless tobacco and the need for regular oral cancer screenings.

The leading Massachusetts organization dedicated to improving the public’s oral health is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2014. As part of its Sesquicentennial Anniversary observances, MDS wants Bay Staters to be aware of the dangers of using smokeless tobacco, including the clear connection between smokeless tobacco use and oral cancer.

“Oral cancer is a disfiguring and often deadly disease,” notes MDS President Michael Wasserman, DDS, of Pittsfield. “People who use smokeless tobacco are 400 times more likely to develop oral cancer than non-users. If not diagnosed and treated early, oral cancer can spread and lead to chronic pain, loss of function, irreparable facial and oral disfigurement, and even death. Fifty percent of oral cancer victims die within 5 years of diagnosis. “

In observance of National Oral, Head, and Neck Cancer Awareness Week April 14-20, 2014, MDS and its nearly 5,000 members are working to increase public awareness of the dangers of smokeless tobacco. The organization recently co-sponsored with NESN a public information TV campaign featuring Boston Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino. In addition, MDS is encouraging all Bay State residents, and particularly, smokeless tobacco users, to seek regular dental checkups and oral cancer screenings.

MDS wants the public to know that many oral cancers can be successfully treated if they are caught and treated in the early stages, Dr. Wasserman explains. “All it takes is a visit to the dentist for an oral cancer screening.”

Performed in the dentist’s office, an oral cancer screening includes checking for tissue changes in the neck, head, cheeks or oral cavities, persistent sores or discolored lesions, patches or lumps in or around the mouth, hoarseness, or repeated bleeding from the mouth or throat. Since many of these problems may be painless at first, regular dental checkups are the most effective way to screen for them.

Oral cancer is not the only health risk resulting from smokeless tobacco. The MDS also notes that smokeless tobacco users are at increased risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks and strokes from the constant flow of nicotine into their bodies.

“It is important to recognize that smokeless tobacco is not ‘harmless tobacco,’ “ Dr. Wasserman continues. “Even tobacco users in their teens have been known to develop health problems from the use of smokeless, chewing, or snuff tobacco. For people of all ages, these health effects can have devastating lifelong consequences.”

As ballplayers take the field for the new baseball season, MDS is encouraging all Massachusetts residents to see their dentists for an oral cancer screening this season. Visit the MDS website athttps://www.massdental.org/tipsonspit/quit.aspx?id=2664 for tips on quitting the use of smokeless tobacco.

After 150 years on the cutting edge of dental innovation in Massachusetts, the MDS and its members continue to lead efforts to maintain and improve oral health and overall health in 2014.

###

The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) is a 5,000-member professional association and statewide constituent of the American Dental Association. Established in 1864, the MDS is an organization dedicated to improving the oral health of the public in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and also advancing the professional development of its membership through initiatives in education, advocacy, and promotion of the highest professional standards. Learn more about the MDS and its programs by visiting http://www.massdental.org.