O'Kane & Monssen Raises over $700 for the Oral Cancer Awareness Walk/Run
On Saturday, October 7th, O’Kane and Monssen Family Dentistry proudly participated in the Oral Cancer Foundation’s Twin Cities 5k in Eagan. This event brings awareness to the growing epidemic and raises funds for the estimated 50,000 adults who will be diagnosed with oral cancer each year. While some think this is a rare cancer, mouth cancers will be newly diagnosed in about 132 new individuals each day in the US alone. This was the fourth year that the event was held in Twin Cities. A record number of 150 attendees walked in the 5K and the goal of $15,000 was met the day of the event. Team O'Kane & Monssen raised over $700. We want to take a moment to thank each and every person that supported our team and helped us raise these funds.
The Oral Cancer Foundation's core mission is to reduce the incidence of oral cancer in the US population, and support those who are currently or have been impacted by the disease. One of those impacted was James Gift Jr, who shared his story at the Twin Cities 5k in Eagan . James is a 16 year survivor of this cancer. After skipping routine checkups for just a few years, James finally decided to see his dentist and oral cancer was discovered. While James felt lucky to be alive, with today's treatments and prevention, James knew that if he had routine checkups sooner, then the cancer could have been caught in its early stages.
At O'Kane & Monssen, we proudly offer Oral ID™ cancer screenings to every patient at every wellness exam. Oral ID™ uses a proven "fluorescence technology" that provides an aid in visualization of abnormal lesions, including cancer and pre-cancer that may not be apparent to the naked eye. Fluorescence technology has been used in the medical field for many years, and in the dental field it has successfully screened more than 25 million patients in the past decade.
Like other cancers that we screen for, oral and oropharyngeal cancers should be screened for annually starting around the age of 18. Schedule an appointment for your Oral ID™ cancer screening, today.
Oral Cancer Facts:
Oral cancer kills one American every 60 minutes.
The number of oral cancer cases has risen over each of the past seven years, while other types of cancer cases have declined.
40% of new oral cancer diagnoses are young, non-smokers.
HPV is responsible for a 15x increase in oral cancer diagnosis.
Men are two times more likely to develop general oral cancers.
HPV-related cancers are 6-7 times more common in men than women.
69% of all oral cancers are found in late stage causing thousands of deaths.
