# Dentist fired a ray-gun into my mouth today, to check for cancer. (?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 25, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878 "2012-04-25T03:08:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/1 "2012-04-25T03:08:55Z")
At a normal routine 6-month cleaning at my dentist, the hygienist got through the normal ritual of scrape, floss, brush, scrape. Then (and this was new to me) she pulled out a damn ray-gun. 😃 “This is to check for cancer. Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt. Might be a bit warm because of the heat it generates, but it’s painless.” And it was. And, apparently, I’m free of oral cancer. I googled around a bit and found a few manufacturers of things like the [Velscope](http://www.velscope.com/) OK, I get the general idea. Healthy tissue should fluoresce under this magic light (at whatever wavelength it runs), but cancerous growths shouldn’t? Why is this? What frequency of light makes healthy tissue fluoresce? Why? And why wouldn’t a cancerous growth do the same? I’m just genuinely curious. It seems like a really neat technology. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/2 "2012-04-25T15:13:42Z")
1920s-style Breath Ray? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/3 "2012-04-25T15:17:00Z")
So, you were judged free of oral cancer. . ._by the hygienist_? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/4 "2012-04-25T15:30:30Z")
The reason they’re now checking for oral cancer is because of the prevalence of Human Papilloma Virus(HPV) in the population. There are over 50 varieties, and almost all of them are harmless or cause plain old warts or, unhappily, genital warts. In some instances, HPV can cause cervical, penile, anal, or _mouth_ cancer. There are two varieties, 16 and 18, which can cause mouth and throat cancer. It used to be extremely rare for anyone to get mouth or throat cancer without being a long-time smoker, but there’s been a spike in oral cancer among non-smokers, and on researching things, what we discovered was that HPV infections which had previously been restricted to the genital/anal area are now present in the mouth. All that oral sex, you know. It’s apparently more prevalent in men than women. I don’t know why UV light would show up HPV infections. The standard test I’m aware of is to brush everything down with a 5% vinegar solution, which then turns the HPV-infected areas white. (My maternal grandmother died of mouth and throat cancer in the early '80s, and her doctors were baffled that she got it when she’d never smoked or dipped a day in her life. I guess I know why now, though it’s not something I bring up at family gatherings, you understand.) ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/5 "2012-04-25T15:33:16Z")
just a guess but cancerous tissue might grow too thick for the proteins to get excited. i am curious too, maybe i will find out more and comment later. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/6 "2012-04-25T16:44:29Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > So, you were judged free of oral cancer. . ._by the hygienist_? I think it might be a new thing. My cousin is in dental hygienist school, and I volunteered to be one of her “test subjects,” the other week and she did an oral cancer check as well. I don’t remember ever getting checked for oral cancer by my hygienist OR dentist as a kid or teenager, which was the last time I had any sort of dental check-up (~10 years ago…yeah, I know, but I didn’t have any dental insurance for several years, ok?) ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/7 "2012-04-25T17:42:09Z")
The hygienist at my dentist has been doing oral cancer checks for several years. Not with a ray-gun, though, just visual and poking around. Seems like a good idea to me. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/8 "2012-04-25T17:48:25Z")
I’m sure the hygienist would refer anything suspicious to an appropriate authority on the matter. I agree, a good idea it is. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/9 "2012-04-25T18:03:05Z")
My hygienist checks for cancer too by poking around and looking. My guess, though, is that if there’s something visibile or palpable, it might be pretty far advanced. I wanted to look at those case studies on the Velscope web site, but they aren’t there yet. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/10 "2012-04-25T21:24:52Z")
My hygienist did the oral cancer screening with the ray gun, general poking around, and a full on gum and lip massage. It alternated between wonderfully soothing and dreadfully uncomfortable but despite smoking for 10 years my mouth passed the tests. I had to rinse with something for the ray gun test but I don’t remember what it was or how it works. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/11 "2012-04-26T06:11:19Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > So, you were judged free of oral cancer. . ._by the hygienist_? I know! It’s crazy! I don’t doubt that if she saw something suspicious, she’d call the proper DDS in to have a look, but if it works like it claims to, a “ray-gun” that finds cancer is neat technology. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/12 "2012-04-26T15:09:08Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > I had to rinse with something for the ray gun test but I don’t remember what it was or how it works. When I had the same test a couple years back, the rinse was acetic acid (basically really strong vinegar). Note that, at least here in the States, most dental insurance doesn’t cover this test – I had to pay something like $40 for it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/13 "2012-04-26T15:17:32Z")
Maybe this question could be moved to GQ. So far nobody seems to know how this raygun works in this forum. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/14 "2012-04-26T18:55:45Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > 1920s-style Breath Ray? Like ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/15 "2012-04-28T23:54:51Z")
There is some really interesting discussion among dental professionals in the comments here: [http://www.ddsgadget.com/ddsgadgetwp/velscop-early-detection-of-oral-cancer/](http://www.ddsgadget.com/ddsgadgetwp/velscop-early-detection-of-oral-cancer/) > [@](#): > > I used to use Vizilte and switched to the VELscope because it seemed like the thing to do. It never really did anything for me, but honestly, it seemed like a faster, more efficient (and profitable) way to do an oral cancer screening. The things that I read, and reps at the tradeshow booth said that the VELscope was very accurate. > Well…I just got my February issue of the JADA and my world is rocked. I was using the VELscope to give my patients what I was led to believe was the best standard of care using highly accurate technology. The clinical study about Vizilite and VELscope said that it’s wrong almost half the time. How is that reliable? > Now, what am I supposed to do with this gadget? This is crazy. First my Toyota, and now this. Can anyone find this JADA article? > [@](#): > > There are a few comments in this forum that correctly state that the VELscope is not a test. “It is a > mis-conception to most Dr’s that this device will determine whether or not the lesion is cancerous or not.” Which is accurate. But then, those are followed up with comments like “I feel much better when they show up VELscope Negative”. Or “OralCDx is great when you find something suspicious but with VELscope ruleouts you don’t need to do that as routinely.” “VELscope Negatives”? …”VELscope Ruleouts”?. You can understand how someone can get the wrong idea. These are scary, confusing phrases. How can it rule out anything with certainty if it’s not diagnostic? I can’t stress enough that unless a biopsy tells you that it’s negative, you don’t know for sure. > If a VELscope indicates that something is positive, and it isn’t, someone had a biopsy and they’re okay. If you use the VELscope (or other screening aid) and send someone home because the VELscope didn’t “fluoresce” and you got a “VELscope negative”, someone can leave your office with cancer, or abnormal cells that may become cancer. Only a biopsy can “definitively” tell you what you’re looking at - brush or scalpel. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/16 "2012-04-29T00:11:37Z")
From the abstract [here](http://jada.ada.org/content/141/2/151.abstract?sid=83b3f9f8-3b23-48e2-a86b-35930bb69d10): > [@](#): > > Results. The authors biopsied 102 lesions and examined them with the ViziLite. They found three dysplasias and one malignancy, none of which were detected with the ViziLite (sensitivity = 0 percent, confidence interval [CI] = 0–60.2 percent; specificity = 75.5 percent, CI = 66.7–82.8 percent). The authors biopsied another 156 lesions and examined them with VELscope. They found 11 dysplasias and one malignancy, six of which were detected with VELscope (sensitivity = 50 percent, CI = 21.1–78.9 percent; specificity = 38.9 percent, CI = 30.8–46.9 percent). ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dentist-fired-a-ray-gun-into-my-mouth-today-to-check-for-cancer/619878/17 "2012-04-29T00:14:44Z")
It sounds like there is some use for these devices. In addition to a regular screening, it might find cancers otherwise undetectable. Judging from the discussion on the first link, some dentists are using these to rule out cancer. That could be very dangerous.