Clinical study concludes that VELscope technology improves clinical decision making

A recent independent clinical study by seven researchers from the University of British Columbia, British Columbia Cancer Agency, and Simon Fraser University, is the latest report to document the benefits of adjunctive oral examination technology. The lead researcher for the study was Denise M. Laronde, RDH, MSc, of the Department of Oral Biological and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, at the University of British Columbia. The study concluded that integrating fluorescence visualization technology, as delivered by the VELscope® Vx, significantly improves the protocol for screening, assessing and reassessing oral lesions.ADDITIONAL READING |Head, neck, and oral cancer: A general reference for treatment The goal of the study was to determine whether the VELscope’s fluorescence visualization (FV) technology added any value to the traditional intraoral and extraoral examination for oral cancer screening. The researchers’ questions were focused on whether positive FV results were associated with persisting lesions detected through a step-by-step procedure that included both a conventional oral examination and an adjunctive examination using VELscope® Vx technology. The study concluded the following: “A protocol for screening (assess risk, reassess, and refer) is recommended for the screening of abnormal intraoral lesions. Integrating FV into a process of assessing and reassessing lesions significantly improved this model.” (1)ADDITIONAL READING |Breaking it down The full article, “Influence of Fluorescence on Screening Decisions for Oral Mucosal Lesions in Community Dental Practices,” was published in the Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine and is also available through the LED Dental website by visiting the Downloads Center. Peter Whitehead, founder and CEO of LED Medical Diagnostics and its subsidiary, LED Dental is encouraged by the study, “Many clinicians are unaware of the significant benefits that the adjunctive use of VELscope™ can bring to the table. It is nice to see independent confirmation that the use of VELscope™ technology not only enhances early detection but also supports clinical decision making as well.”ADDITIONAL READING |Before you look at the teeth, look at this: our responsibility to detect and treat oral cancer 1. DM Laronde, PM Williams, TG Hislop, C Poh, S Ng, C Bajdik, L Zhang, C Macaulay, MP Rosin, Influence of fluorescence on screening decisions for oral mucosal lesions in community dental practices, (Vancouver, Canada, University of British Columbia, September, 2013) http://www.leddental.com/assets/media/clinical-studies/laronde-influence-of-fluorescence.pdf