MEDIA ADVISORY: Catch It Early – oral cancer screenings to be held on WVU campuses | WVU Today

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WHAT: Catch It Early free oral cancer screenings for adults 18+, including WVU students, faculty, staff and local community members

WHEN: Saturday (Sept. 25) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: Morgantown

WVU Rec Center basketball court #1
Common space outside the Mountainlair near E. Moore Hall and Martin Hall
Informational flier with map

WHO: West Virginia University School of Dentistry students and WVU Dental faculty providers

Event partners: Academy of General Dentistry Foundation, Oral Health Program, Mountains of Hope and WVU Campus rec

NOTES:

The first 300 participants will receive a take home screening kit.
All participants will learn how to conduct their own oral cancer screening at home.
Participants can sign up for an electric toothbrush raffle. Raffle winners will be announced at the end of the event. Winners will be contacted so they can pick up their electric toothbrushes at the WVU School of Dentistry.

Brief Q&A from Dr. Juan Bugueno, Assistant Professor Oral Medicine

Q: Oral cancer awareness
“Oral cancer is the appearance of lesions in any part of the mouth that need immediate attention and appropriate care. First, we want patients to avoid the development of oral cancer. Secondly, we want patients to be aware of suspicious lesions in the mouth.”

Q: How can oral cancer be prevented?
“To prevent oral cancer, the patients must avoid risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, infection with human papillomavirus, and periodic oral care.”

Q: If diagnosed, what are challenges a patient could face?
“The patient needs to know the following. Immediate care is needed, long term treatment is a possibility and a multidisciplinary approach is important in treatment.”

Q: What are the benefits of early diagnosis?
“Oral cancer that is diagnosed early has better outcomes in terms of treatment, quality of life and life expectancy.”