Tag Archive for: #carolinafellowsdentistry

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Granville Vance Public Health Launches Tooth Club To Promote Oral Health In Children

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Thanks to a $50,000 grant, Granville Vance Public Health is launching a school-based oral health program called the Tooth Club to support and improve dental health among children.

The grant comes from the Triangle North Health Care Foundation and the GVPH Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry clinic will oversee the program to provide preventive and restorative care in various school settings, including Headstart, Henderson Collegiate and Vance County Schools, according to information from GVPH Workforce Development Jesus Peralta.

Regular preventive dental care is essential for good oral health, and early childhood tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in the United States. Not all children in Vance and Granville counties have access to dental care. If left untreated, tooth decay can lead to infection and pain that can inhibit a child’s ability to eat, sleep, speak, play, and learn, as well as cause chronic childhood health challenges such as diabetes, heart disease and malnourishment.

The Tooth Club will offer preventive oral care, such as cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, sealants and oral health education to uninsured students enrolled in the SBOH clinics. Services are provided at no cost to the student or family – regardless of insurance status, household income or immigration status. Student participants can also receive restorative oral health care services at no cost.

Dr. Navid Nesab, the dentist at Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry, stated: “Our School Based Oral Health clinics allow students to receive preventive oral health services within a familiar school environment, reduce the amount of time students are absent from school for oral health appointments, and keep parents from having to miss work to take their child to the dentist for needed oral health services. Triangle North Health Care Foundation’s grant also allows us the ability to perform restorative care for uninsured SBOH patients at no cost to the families.”

Any child attending HeadStart, Henderson Collegiate, or Vance County Public Schools is eligible to enroll for the SBOH clinics, held at each school location periodically. To enroll your student, please contact the School Nurse at your child’s school to obtain the consent form or contact the dental clinic directly at 919.693.8797 or by email at dental@gvph.org. Visit  https://www.gvph.org/clinic/dental/ to learn more.

 

Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry Staff Talk Oral Cancer Awareness Month

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Sandra Micou, office manager, and Brooke Arrington, dental hygienist, with Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry, were on Wednesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss April’s designation as Oral Cancer Awareness Month.

Part of the Granville Vance Public Health Department, Carolina Fellows Family Dentistry is a non-profit dentistry clinic serving Granville and Vance County residents of all ages, both the insured – through Medicaid or private insurance – and the uninsured. The recently opened dental office is located at 115 Hilltop Village in Oxford.

In addition to keeping their patients’ teeth healthy, Micou and Arrington said their office also strives to help patients prevent oral cancer of the mouth and throat.

“Oral cancer is usually caught by your dentist who will do a cancer screening during your normal cleanings,” said Micou. “This is one reason it’s so important to be seen every six months.”

According to Micou, over 50,000 new cases of cancer of the oral cavity and throat are diagnosed each year with an estimated 10,000 deaths occurring annually. In the U.S., it is believed that the 5-year survival rate is approximately 65% and depends on how early the cancer is found.

“Unfortunately, people don’t always go to see their dentist regularly; by the time it’s detected, it’s often pretty advanced and has spread to other parts of the body,” Micou said.

Arrington provided listeners with a list of oral cancer signs to be aware of, including:

  • Lesions in the throat or mouth that bleed easily and do not heal
  • Persistent red or white patch, lump, or thickening in the throat or mouth
  • Ear pain
  • Neck masses or wart-like masses
  • Hoarseness lasting for a long time
  • Numbness in the oral/facial region
  • Coughing up blood
  • Difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking or moving the tongue or jaw (often late-stage symptoms)

Oral cancer rates for women have also greatly increased over the past decade, according to Micou. “Previously, oral cancer affected men 6-to-1 over women; now we are seeing 2-to-1 ratios.”

Micou said one explanation for this increase could be the prevalence of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), especially among those who were born before the HPV vaccine was readily made available.

According to the CDC website, HPV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can lead to several classifications of cancer, including oral. It is considered the most common STI, and it is estimated a large majority of the population has been exposed to the virus.

HPV vaccines are recommended for boys and girls ages 11-12, with catch-up vaccines encouraged through age 26.

Micou also reported that oral cancer occurs twice as often in the African-American population that in the white population, with 5-year survival rates being lower at only 33%.

One of the biggest risk factors for oral cancer – tobacco use – is especially high with the use of smokeless products that alter the oral tissue such as chewing tobacco or snuff, said Arrington.

Other risk factors include excessive alcohol consumption, HPV infections and diets low in fruits and vegetables.

Arrington said using tobacco products while drinking excessive amounts of alcohol increases your chance of developing oral cancer 30-fold.

To help prevent oral cancer, avoid risk factors such as smoking, using smokeless tobacco products and drinking alcohol, receive the HPV vaccine, eat a healthy diet, complete a monthly oral self-assessment and get regular oral exams from your dentist.

To hear the Town Talk interview with Sandra Micou and Brooke Arrington in its entirety, click here.