Screening for Oral Cancer
Screening for oral cancer is another important mission of the Detroit Dental Health Project. Although these screenings are not a part of the disparities project, the School of Dentistry has received a five-year grant from NIDCR to conduct a fiveyear study in Detroit.
Oral cancer is a major health issue in southeast Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health.
Jerry Mastey
After completing a questionnaire about his oral health history, that included frequency of tobacco use, a patient discusses his oral health habits with Dr. James Betz (DDS 1976) at the DDHP Clinic.
Scope of Problem
Between 1990 and 1998, according to the state health department, nearly 4,500 new cases of oral cancer were reported in the tri-county area of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. That number was 48 percent of all new oral cancer cases reported throughout Michigan.
In Wayne County alone, the number of new oral cancer cases diagnosed during the same time period was about 2,600 and the number of deaths attributed to oral cancer was about 700. The death rate from oral cancer among African-Americans in Detroit was one of the highest in the nation, 4.1 deaths per 100,000.
Bill Ridella, deputy director of health with the Detroit Health Department, said, "The Detroit Dental Health Project has made the community aware of just how significant the oral health cancer problem is in the city because of the community outreach and other education they have done."
Last fall, a group of men from a Detroit church traveled to the DDHP clinic on West Grand Boulevard and were screened by Dr. James Betz (DDS 1976), a clinical instructor at University of Detroit-Mercy.
Trying to Quit
Jerry Mastey
Following an oral cancer screening, a patient listens to Charity Hicks and takes notes as she describes some of the things he can do after leaving the DDHP Clinic to improve his oral health.
The men learned of the free screening from the church's health education coordinator, Toni McIlwain, who is also a member of the DDHP community advisory committee.
"People don't know a lot about oral cancer, but it is a problem," she said. "I told them that the oral screening was painless and free, and that they owed it to themselves and those close to them to get checked before it's too late."
Among those responding was David Johnson, who works for the church as a self-described "jack of all trades."
"I'm glad I went," he said. "I acquired this bad habit (smoking) when I was fifteen and have been trying to quit for a couple of months, but without much success." He said he tried to quit several months earlier, "but I succeeded for about thirty days. When I quit, I found I was constantly eating, so I resumed smoking."
Johnson said he wanted to learn if he had early signs of oral cancer. He was encouraged with the good news he heard that he did not have any sign of oral cancer. "But I also wanted to learn what I could do to quit smoking for a longer period of time," he said.
Betz said that it's not unusual for individuals wanting to turn their lives around to begin by focusing on health issues, such as smoking. Long-term smokers, he said, often try several times to quit before they eventually succeed. "I keep advising patients not to give up, to keep trying," he said.
Betz said the group of men that came in for screening "made a great start by deciding to come here. They're certainly more health conscious, and the desire to quit smoking can be a powerful motivator," he said. "Fortunately, I didn't see signs of oral cancer in any of them. I didn't even need to do a brush biopsy, which is something that is fairly common."
Walking out of the clinic following his appointment, Johnson thanked Betz and clinic staff. "You're helping to save a lot of people's lives doing this," he said.
