Delta dental: joining the fight against oral cancer.

A visit to the dentist can save a life. That's because dental professionals are in a unique position to detect many life-threatening conditions. In fact, dentists can identify the signs and symptoms of more than 120 diseases during an oral examination, including one of the deadliest diseases, oral cancer.

Tragically, the five-year survival rate for oral cancer, at 57 percent, has not improved in the last 40 years because the disease is usually detected too late. Early detection is now possible with an inexpensive, painless brush biopsy procedure that allows dentists to identify cancerous cells when the disease is most treatable. Better yet, the brush biopsy can prevent the development of oral cancer by detecting precancerous cells. This can save an organization significant costs in medical treatment, especially since the average cost for treating an advanced case of oral cancer is $200,000.

To help in the fight against oral cancer, Delta Dental Plan of Indiana has become one of the first dental benefit carriers in the nation to add coverage of the brush biopsy to its core group of covered services because of the procedure's proven ability to detect precancerous and cancerous cells. To date, the brush biopsy has been used to detect more than 5,000 precancers and cancers, saving hundreds of lives in the U.S. by identifying oral cancer at an early stage. The procedure is performed if the dentist sees an unexplained red or white spot in the mouth. It is considered one of the most accurate diagnostic tests and is used in conjunction with a visual and tactile exam.

With the detection of early oral cancer...