Bhubaneswar: The Institute of Dental Sciences (IDS) functioning under the city-based Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) deemed to be university will conduct a free Oral Cancer Screening Week from April 5 to 10.
IDS, which is ranked 12th in the country among dental science institutions by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), has been conducting such week-long free oral cancer screening programs twice a year.
According to an IDS release issued on Saturday, oral cancer is considered as one of the top three types of cancer affecting people, and claims more than five lives in India every hour.
Addiction to alcohol, use of tobacco products and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) were the most common risk factors for oral cancer with 20 out of every one lakh population in India being affected by the disease.
The treatment of oral cancer has emerged as a significant public health concern as the disease was mostly diagnosed at later stages resulting in low treatment outcome and high cost. Regular oral cancer examination performed by oral health professionals remained the best method for detecting the disease in its early stages, the release said.
