Alafaya Center for Cosmetic and Family Dentistry

ViziLight Oral Cancer Screening

About Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is a devastating, even deadly, cancer that can go unnoticed until it has progressed to later stages. Twenty-five percent of all oral cancer victims are non-smokers, non-drinkers and have no other lifestyle risk factors.1 According to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, the human papillomavirus (HPV) 16, a common sexually transmitted virus, is associated with oral cancers located in the upper throat and back of the tongue.2

As with any cancer, early detection and diagnosis is key; it’s important for patients to see an oral healthcare professional regularly, particularly if they are in the high-risk groups — those who use tobacco, abuse alcohol or have been exposed to HPV.13

We recommend this very important screening be done once a year for everyone over 18.

How ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® Works

When cells mutate from normal to becoming cancerous they go through many changes. One change that occurs within the cell is the replication of nuclear DNA at an accelerated rate. The DNA takes up a greater percentage of the total cell volume as shown in the illustration below. The ratio between the nucleus and the cytoplasm can increase until the nucleus takes up nearly 100% of the cell volume.

With ViziLite® Plus with TBlue®, oral healthcare professionals now have a diagnostic aid that helps them identify, evaluate, monitor and mark abnormal oral lesions that may be going through these dysplastic changes. The pre-rinse solution in ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® slightly desiccates the cells to make the nuclei more prominent, and, therefore, more visible. The low intensity light from the handheld light source is reflected off of these abnormal cells down to the basement membrane where the nuclei have been rendered more prominent, and appear to “glow” – making abnormal cells easier to see.

Does the screening take a long time?

Getting screened is easy. We have you rinse with the Vizlight solution for 45 seconds. We dim the lights and use a special light wand to illuminate any tissue changes. We take a thorough look at all the tissues and perform a head and neck exam. If we see anything suspicious we mark it with TBlue. Once marked, we photograph the area in question and send you to an oral surgeon for a second look. Vizilight gives us the opportunity to see and address things before they become more complicated to treat.