There is a new test just developed and now available that may be of interest to people on this board. Not many dentists offer it yet, but if yours does not, ask them to. It is a saliva test for oral HPV that assists in screening for oral cancer related to HPV.

http://www.oraldna.com/whoweare/PROralD ... _Final.pdf

It is developed by OralDNA labs.

Since I was recently diagnosed with high-risk HPV with ASCUS and am concerned about the oral risk factors, I called the company, and they gave me a list of dentists who offer it and also offered to call my dentist to ask if he wanted to offer it to his patients.

Any word on this? I tried to search for Indiana dentists that would practice it, but didn't have any luck. Please keep us posted.

_________________
MNUI Help Me Help You, Todd Cook, MD

This will no doubt be of interest to many people, as we often have inquiries about HPV and head & neck diseases.

I think it's premature to recommend that people get this type of test as a routine matter, because the usefulness of this type of testing in preventing HPV-related H&N diseases isn't known. It's important to note than H&N cancers are not terribly common, the majority are not HPV related, most of those with high-risk HPV in the oral cavity do NOT develop cancer as a result, and the clinical utility of detecting the presence of oropharyngeal HPV in the absence of disease isn't established.

Still, there may be value in tests like these, and perhaps that will include helping clinicians to determine the best follow-up for those who have H&N pre-cancers and cancers detected. Stay tuned, and thanks for posting.

Fredo

_________________
ASHA Moderator

There are dentists in the Atlanta area who do this test. It is a saliva DNA test and will determine whether high-risk HPV is present in the oral cavity. The patient swishes and gargles an oral saline solution and spits it into a collection bag that is sent to the lab. Results are available in 2 weeks. Even if there is high-risk HPV present, it does not mean a person will develop oral cancer - there is just the increased risk. The test could bring peace of mind or increased anxiety, depending on the result, of course. Whether it is valuable or not depends on the individual, I would imagine. Would increased surveillance for a positive result be a benefit?