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April 2009 | Dental Products Report
Products in Practice

Screenings make Sense + Dollars

Oral cancer detection systems can help save patients’ lives while increasing your bottom line.

By: Dr. Larry Emmott
 

	LED Dental’s VELscope combines a blue light with a special handpiece to filter out most of the ambient reflected light

Have you seen the CSI-type shows where the crime scene detective puts on some funky goggles and shines an eerie blue light over the scene, looking for clues? They are using an alternative light source to reveal details that are difficult to detect under normal white light. The same kind of technology is behind today’s oral cancer detection systems.

Detection tools

There are two major oral cancer detection systems currently available. ViziLite®  Plus from Zila Pharmaceuticals and VELscope® from LED Dental. These systems appear similar in that they both use a blue light and filters; however, they employ quite different science.

ViziLite Plus is a disposable chemical light source packaged in a wand. When the chemicals are mixed the wand gives off a specific blue light that is used to illuminate the oral tissues. Certain changes in the mucosa are easier to detect with this alternative light source.

VELscope produces a specific blue light as well. However, the tissues are then viewed through the VELscope handpiece, which filters out most of the ambient reflected light. What the user sees through the handpiece is the natural fluorescence of the mucosal tissue.

Dysplasia (even early dysplasia) produces chemical changes at the cellular level in both the epithelium and the underlying connective tissue, which results in decreased fluorescence.

The ViziLite Plus system includes a tissue stain called TBlue®, which, when applied to lesions discovered with the alternative light source, allows for visualization of the lesion with normal white light.

Just the first step

Neither system will actually diagnose oral cancer. The only true diagnostic protocol remains a biopsy. What these instruments do is enhance the routine visual and manual head and neck exam. They give the practitioner the ability to visualize tissue changes that often are not apparent with normal unfiltered white light.

“VELscope is not a magic cancer stick,” said Dr. David Morgan, the Chief Science Officer of LED Dental. “It does not replace the traditional head, neck and oral soft-tissue exam.”

Buying in to detection

In addition to different science, these companies employ different delivery and pricing methods.

ViziLite Plus is a disposable wand combined with single dose of a mouthrinse and swabs of TBlue. The average cost is $18.50 per use. The low unit cost makes it easy to get started with a small investment.

VELscope is sold as an instrument consisting of a base and attached handpiece. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $6,995.00. The relatively high start up cost can pose a barrier to entry. On the other hand, the ongoing expense of the disposable ViziLite kits adds up quickly. The math is easy: $6,995 / $18.50 = 378.

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