The Oral Aesthetic Advocacy Group (OAAG) is proving its commitment to oral health by launching a new initiative to bring greater awareness to oral cancer risks.
Effective March 1, 2011, the OAAG will offer adults older than age 25 with a free oral cancer screening exam through select dental practitioners that participate in the organization's program. The campaign kicks off with print ads, electronic media, and direct mail distribution in California, Tennessee, Florida, New Jersey, Georgia, Missouri, Virginia, Alabama, Colorado, Alabama, and Ontario, Canada, the OAAG announced.
The OAAG will allocate up to $100,000 toward the endeavor and will renew it after the first year if the program demonstrates its effectiveness in getting people proactive about oral cancer screening.
"The public really isn't getting the message about the frequency and severity of oral cancer, and that's partly because the message doesn't seem to be as important as those about breast, prostate, and even colon cancers," said Lola Snidman, president of the OAAG, in a press release. "I think it's an important obligation of the oral health community to step up and not only create awareness but do something about it."
