“It’s not about decay, it’s not about gum disease; it’s about your life,” Ft. Lauderdale dentist William Balanoff tells his patients, “And they get it,” he says. Balanoff tells how he motivates patients to have ViziLite® Plus with TBlue® oral cancer screening exams. In a new brochure from Zila Pharmaceuticals, 10 dentists and hygienists offer concise case studies and moving personal views on finding oral cancer and pre-cancer in their patients. The brochure, “What are the professionals saying?” is available from ViziLite Plus sales representatives or from Zila Pharmaceuticals at (800) 228-5595.

Joanna Lauck, RDH, in the Greenwood, Indiana, office of Dr. Jeffrey Golder, had a 32-year-old female patient with no tobacco or alcohol use. “On visual examination, the soft tissues appeared healthy. Using ViziLite Plus, however, we observed a small 3mm glow in the right buccal vestibule (the lower cheek). We did the TBlue sequence, which produced a positive stain. We referred the patient to the oral surgeon, who delayed doing a biopsy as the spot was so small. Six months later, biopsy confirmed dysplasia. We’d found a premalignancy. It was satisfying to know that we had made a difference.” In Dr. Golder’s office, on the day of a patient’s oral surgery appointment, “We have the patient come to us first, and we stain the lesion with TBlue; that way, we know the biopsy will be taken from the area of greatest suspicion under ViziLite.”

David L. Clemens, of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, treated a 59-year-old female patient who was a smoker and casual drinker. “While she complained about cheek soreness related to her denture, ViziLite Plus drew our attention to a white area under her tongue that had not been visible with unaided vision. With TBlue, the area retained a deep, dark stain with distinct margins. Biopsy evidenced severe epithelial dysplasia. Upon learning of this pre-malignancy, the patient quit smoking. In my 28 years of practice, I have always done visual exams. Today I feel much more secure that my exams will find precancerous lesions, and, as seen in this case, maybe save someone''s life.”

James Elias, DMD, of Louisville, Kentucky, had a male patient, 31, in good health with no tobacco or heavy drinking h