Would you prefer to get yourself screened for oral cancers just to remain safe or as a part of your routine dental visit? Do you want the screening test to be simple, quick yet reliable? You are at the right place! We offer a quick, simple and a high technology based solution for oral cancer screening – the VELscope.

The VELscope (Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope) is a hand-held device that exposes oral tissues to blueviolet light. It is used as a screening tool to detect oral cancers. The device consists of a hand held device to illuminate the tissue and a manual unit for direct visualization.

It works on the principle of a phenomenon called as fluorescence. Here normal tissues emit a pale green fluorescence when excited by blueviolet light. While cancerous tissues cause loss of fluorescence through increased absorption and/or scattering of light due to altered proteins and thus appear as a dark area.

The VELscope has been approved to be used as an adjunct to standard visual inspection to aid in the detection of cancer. It is also useful for surgeons to help in the assessment of biopsies and surgical resections. VELscope has the advantage of improving the contrast between normal and ancerous area, thereby facilitating easy identification of the cancer. It has high sensitivity and specificity and is able to detect cancers not visible on conventional visual inspection.

Oral cancer screening doesn’t require any special preparations. It can be performed during a routine dental visit. Ask your dentist if you require an oral cancer screening in order to identify and treat the cancer at early stages itself! You can also ask your dentisit about tips to reduce your risk for oral cancers like quitting smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption.