2A News f DT page 1A DENTAL TRIBUNE | March 2009 DENTAL TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · US Edition Unless it is placed in a preservation solution, a knockedAt the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, the VELscope System was used to screen athletes for oral cancer. The device was developed in British Columbia. emits a special blue light inside the mouth to help detect suspect tissue that needs further investigation, was used to screen for cancerous and precancerous lesions in the athletes. According to LED Dental, the VELscope is the No. 1 oral cancer screening device in the world, having been used to conduct an estimated 3 million screenings in the past year. “It’s a terrific adjunctive visual tool being integrated more and more into general dentistry practices,” said Dr. Chris Zed, associate dean of dentistry at the University of British Columbia and co-head of dental services for the 2010 Olympic Games. The athletes were also receiving education about the importance of wearing sunscreen to prevent oral cancers. Alpine sports athletes who train year-round at high elevations are especially prone to damaging ultraviolet rays, raising the risk of developing skin and lip cancers. The problem is compounded by the additional reflection of ultraviolet radiation off the snow and ice. Zed cited a German study that showed outdoor athletes seem unaware of the elevated cancer risks associated with their training. DT Publisher & Chairman Torsten Oemus t.oemus@dental-tribune.com Vice President Global Sales Peter Witteczek p.witteczek@dental-tribune.com Chief Operating Officer Eric Seid e.seid@dental-tribune.com Group Editor & Designer Robin Goodman r.goodman@dental-tribune.com Editor in Chief Dental Tribune Dr. David L. Hoexter d.hoexter@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Implant Tribune & Endo Tribune Sierra Rendon s.rendon@dental-tribune.com Managing Editor/Designer Ortho Tribune & Show Dailies Kristine Colker k.colker@dental-tribune.com Online Editor Fred Michmershuizen f.michmershuizen@dental-tribune.com Product & Account Manager Mark Eisen m.eisen@dental-tribune.com Marketing Manager Anna Wlodarczyk a.wlodarczyk@dental-tribune.com Sales & Marketing Assistant Lorrie Young l.young@dental-tribune.com C.E. Manager Julia E. Wehkamp j.wehkamp@dental-tribune.com out tooth dies within one hour. their stem cells stored for future medical use.” The Save-A-Tooth System from Phoenix-Lazerus — one method for storage of knocked out teeth — can be used to transport teeth that can be used as a source of stem cells. Provia Laboratories, the provider of the Store-A-Tooth service and a company that preserves the valuable stem cells found in extracted wisdom teeth and baby teeth, is now using the Save-A-Tooth system to transport these teeth. “We get the best results banking these stem cells if the teeth that contain them are not damaged during the transport,” said Dr. Peter Verlander, chief scientific officer of Provia. “The Save-A-Tooth system has a patented suspension and retrieval net that protects the teeth during transport, and none of the other methods of transporting teeth have this safety factor.” There are stem cells present on the roots of extracted wisdom teeth that are especially delicate and subject to crushing damage. The Save-A-Tooth method protects these delicate cells. These stem cells are found at the root end of the wisdom teeth and could be damaged by banging against container walls or crushing during removal from the container. The Save-A-Tooth system has the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance for transporting knocked out teeth and is used by dentists, schools, hospitals, ambulances and the U.S. Olympic teams. Because knocked out teeth will die within one hour of their being knocked out, the Save-A-Tooth should be purchased ahead of time and kept in first aid kits just like bandages, burn cream and gauze. If the Save-A-Tooth is used within 60 minutes of the accident, over 90 percent of knocked out teeth can be saved by reimplantation. The Save-A-Tooth system has been used to store, preserve and transport knocked out teeth for over 20 years. Its preservation fluid, Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution, has been shown to be an effective preservation solution for knocked out teeth. The value of a complete system for the storage of knocked out teeth is outlined in the dental trauma blog, Dental911.org. DT included screening for oral cancer. The device used to conduct the screenings was the VELscope system, which happened to have been developed right in British Columbia by LED Dental, in collaboration with the British Columbia Cancer Agency. During the games, a team of 72 dentists and their volunteer assistants were offering about 800 athletes everything from routine dental care to trauma surgery. All who were being treated received the oral cancer screenings. “Year-round, the alpine athletes follow winter around the world to train, and they are at higher risk of lip and mouth cancers because of the altitude and sun exposure,” said Dr. Jack Taunton, co-chief medical officer of the games. “The skin on the lips is thin and poorly protected. The damage is cumulative, and you have to consider they are exposed to these intense ultraviolet rays for up to 30 years, through their training and post-competitive coaching years in many cases.” Moreover, Taunton said, some athletes in Nordic events chew tobacco, which contains numerous carcinogens that can cause oral cancers. The VELscope, a device that Dental Tribune America, LLC 213 West 35th Street, Suite 801 New York, NY 10001 Tel.: (212) 244-7181 Fax: (212) 244-7185 Published by Dental Tribune America © 2010 Dental Tribune America, LLC All rights reserved. Dental Tribune strives to maintain the utmost accuracy in its news and clinical reports. If you find a factual error or content that requires clarification, please contact Group Editor Robin Goodman at r.goodman@dental-tribune.com. Dental Tribune cannot assume responsibility for the validity of product claims or for typographical errors. The publisher also does not assume responsibility for product names or statements made by advertisers. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and may not reflect those of Dental Tribune America. Tell us what you think! Do you have general comments or criticism you would like to share? Is there a particular topic you would like to see more articles about? Let us know by e-mailing us at feedback@dental-tribune.com. If you would like to make any change to your subscription (name, address or to opt out) please send us an e-mail at database@dental-tribune.com and be sure to include which publication you are referring to. Also, please note that subscription changes can take up to 6 weeks to process. Editorial Board Dr. Joel Berg Dr. L. 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