Nashville, TN – April 21, 2011 – OralDNA® Labs Inc. (www.OralDNA.com), leaders in advancing wellness in dentistry through salivary diagnostics, and a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics® Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), is observing Oral Cancer Awareness Month (April) by offering a free white paper entitled “Oral HPV: An Overview of the Infection and its Role in the Development of Oral Cancer.”
The white paper is intended to alert dental professionals about the increasing incidence of oral HPV, a mucosal viral infection which can lead to oral cancer. HPV is now one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States.1-3
What’s more, although heavy tobacco and alcohol users have traditionally fit the high-risk profile for oral cancer, an alarming number of new oral cancer cases are being diagnosed each year among persons who do not fit this profile.1
According to OralDNA® Labs’ Medical Director Ronald C. McGlennen, MD, “Dental clinicians can no longer limit their screening efforts by looking for yesterday’s suspects – Especially when 50% of all new cases of oral cancer in the US are being attributed to the HPV virus.4 “
The whitepaper examines the following topics:
- What is oral HPV?
- How HPV infection leads to oral cancer
- The importance of early detection
- The dental professional’s role in overall wellness
- Ways to detect oral HPV
- Salivary diagnostics
- Patient education and communication
According to the white paper, the two most common methods of oral cancer screening used by dental professionals; tissue fluorescence and brush biopsy devices, cannot directly screen for HPV. In fact, the most convenient non-invasive way to definitively detect oral HPV is through a salivary diagnostic test such as OralDNA® Lab’s OraRisk® HPV Test.
Strong candidates for the OraRisk® HPV test include patients with the following profile characteristics:
- Sexually active
- Family history of oral cancer
- Signs and symptoms of oral cancer
- Traditional risk factors for oral cancer
- Suspicious oral lesions
“Oral HPV is a silent, serious infection that can now be immediately detected and closely monitored,” states OralDNA® Labs’ Chief Dental Officer, Thomas W. Nabors, DDS. The laboratory report derived from the OraRisk® HPV salivary diagnostic test enables the dental professional to identify the specific types(s) of oral HPV present, and also to determine the associated risk profile for each type of HPV variant detected in the patient’s oral cavity.”
The white paper entitled “Oral HPV: An Overview of the Infection and its Role in the Development of Oral Cancer” will be available to dental professionals as a free download from http://www.oraldna.com/HPVWhitePaper.aspx
About OralDNA® Labs Inc. (www.OralDNA.com)
OralDNA® Labs Inc., a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics® Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), is a leader in advancing wellness in dentistry through salivary diagnostics. The company’s goal is to help the dental profession achieve better clinical outcomes by providing reliable, definitive, and cost-
effective clinical tests that drive the detection and prognosis of disease at an earlier, more
treatable stage. Innovative salivary diagnostic tests from OralDNA® Labs are fundamental
elements of a patient’s wellness plan. OralDNA® currently offers three DNA-Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests for periodontal disease and oral HPV:
- MyPerioPath® identifies the type and concentration of specific perio-pathogenic bacteria that are known to cause periodontal disease and helps support clinicians with better risk assessment and personalized treatment options for more predictable patient outcomes.
- MyPerioID® PST® identifies individual genetic susceptibility to periodontal disease and enables clinicians to establish which patients are at increased risk for more severe periodontal infections due to an exaggerated immune response.
- OraRisk® HPV is a non-invasive, easy-to-use screening tool to identify the type(s) of oral HPV, a mucosal viral infection that could potentially lead to oral cancer, and in turn, enables the clinician to establish increased risk for oral cancer and determine appropriate referral and monitoring conditions.
About Quest Diagnostics®
Quest Diagnostics® is the world’s leading provider of diagnostic testing, information, and services that patients and clinicians need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics® is a pioneer in developing innovative new diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at www.QuestDiagnostics.com.
References:
- Haddad RI. Human papillomavirus infection and oropharyngeal cancer. Medscape CME Website. http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/559789. Published July 17, 2007. Accessed December 4, 2009.
- Mork J, Lie K, Glattre E, et al. Human papillomavirus infection as a risk factor for squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. N Engl J Med. 2001;344:1125-1131.
- Kreimer AR, Clifford GM, Boyle P, Franceschi S. Human papillomavirus types in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas worldwide: a systematic review. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005;14:467-475.
- Saraiya M, Kawaoka K. Incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related head and neck cancers in the US from 1998-2003: Pre-HPV vaccine licensure. Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol. 2007;25:299s.
