As a dentist, one of the diseases that I am passionate about is the fight against oral & pharyngeal cancer. It is a horrible disease that often leaves victims scarred and or disfigured after treatment. Usually that is because the disease is not detected in its earliest stages when it can be more conservatively treated.
As an example, rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen had a portion of his tongue removed in the early 2000s due to cancer. It was caught early and many people where not aware of the surgery. Unfortunately that frequently is not the case.
One of the many sad things about this disease is that around 36,000 U.S. residents will be diagnosed with a form of it this year. The other incredible statistic is that roughly one person every hour dies of the disease. Oral & pharyngeal cancer kills more Americans than cervical cancer every year.
There is also the fact that the disease is striking younger people much more frequently. The human papilloma virus 16 (HPV 16), the same virus that causes cervical cancer is affecting both genders and at a much younger age. People in their 20s are now being told they have cancer which is a tragedy.
Because of all of these things, I try and screen the best I can when doing patient examinations. Anything that I can o to prevent someone from enduring the brunt of this disease is time well spent as far as I am concerned.
That's why I was happy to read about the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) raising funds to help battle the disease. Here is the info I recently received:
The AGD Foundation is excited to announce that thanks to the support of generous members and corporations, they raised over $192,310 in 2021, which includes over $85,130 from the Annual Appeal campaign alone.
Your support makes the following initiatives possible:
• Developing easily accessible oral and oropharyngeal cancer resources for dentists, physicians, and more.
• Hosting free annual oral cancer screening events.
• Expanding our grant program, which financially supports AGD constituencies and other organizations’ oral/oropharyngeal cancer awareness and early detection programs.
Thank you for showing, yet again, that our profession can make a difference in the fight against oral and oropharyngeal cancer. You inspire us everyday.
Sincerely,
The AGD Foundation Board of Directors
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