A new study from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health highlights the importance of regular preventive dental checkups as a critical way to combat oral cancer.

According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, 54,000 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed in the US this year. Tragically, 43% of those individuals will not survive longer than five years, and many who do survive suffer long-term problems, such as severe facial disfigurement or difficulties with eating and speaking. The death rate associated with oral and oropharyngeal cancers (OC/OPC) is high because the cancers routinely are discovered late in their development.

A new study, co-authored by CareQuest Institute researchers, concludes that OC/OPC was lower among those who had seen a dentist within the prior year. Regular dental visits provide frequent opportunities for dentists to detect OC/OPC at earlier stages. Individuals with infrequent dental visits are often diagnosed with oral cancer at later stages, which significantly reduces the five-year survival rate.

The study compared all cases (prevalence) and new cases (incidence) of oral and throat cancers among approximately 38,000 Medicaid enrollees and approximately 27,000 individuals with commercial medical insurance.

The results also showed that Medicaid enrollees experienced higher oral cancer and throat cancer rates compared with commercially insured adults. Medicaid enrollees are less likely to have cancer screenings that may detect disease at earlier stages compared with individuals with private insurance.

The full report can be found here.