Abstract
We started screening for oral cancer as a cooperative enterprise by the Kanagawa branch of the Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Kanagawa Dental Association in 2006. This enterprise of Kanagawa prefecture consists of a workshop for members of the Kanagawa Dental Association and screening for oral cancer by double-checking by an authorized oral surgeon and certified dentists.
A summary of the enterprise and the results of screening are as follows:
1)1,302 dentists were certified as screening personnel in nine years, which is equivalent to 35% of all members of the Kanagawa Dental Association.
2)Screening for oral cancer was performed 158 times in total in nine years.
3)7,199 people (male 2,150 and female 5,049) were examined by screening in nine years and the average age was 64.7 years old.
4)Of the total, 81.4% were normal, follow-up was necessary for 11.8%, and a detailed examination was necessary for 6.5%.
5)Nine cases were diagnosed as oral cancer: 5 cases with tongue cancer, and 1 case each with cancer of the floor of the mouth, mandible, palate and soft palate.
It is important to analyze and utilize these data effectively. We consider that both group and individual examinations will be started in several areas in the near future.
