It is recommended that ViziLite Plus be offered annually to all new and re-care adult patients following the standard head and neck exam. Patients with a history of oral cancer should receive at least semi-annual ViziLite Plus exams.
As is the case with most cancers, age is the primary risk factor for oral cancer. Approximately 90% of oral cancer victims are age 40 and older, but recent studies indicate that increasingly, patients younger than age 40 are being diagnosed with oral cancer. Though tobacco and alcohol use are the primary lifestyle risk factors that contribute to the development of oral cancer, approximately 25% of oral cancer victims do not use tobacco or alcohol, and have no lifestyle risk factors. Oral cancer affects men more than women; 2:1, but oral cancer in women is on the rise nationwide.