LED Dental announced that it is giving $8,000 to the University of British Columbia (UBC) to support a research project titled "Prevention Strategies in Early Detection and Diagnosis of Oral Cancer in Vietnam."
The money will be directed to the Dr. Catherine Poh Oral Cancer Research Fund at UBC, according to LED Dental. It will fund the travel costs to Vietnam in 2015 of two research trainers to deliver training for various levels of health professionals, including those from the Oncology Hospital and the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City.
The company said its VELscope Vx handheld oral assessment system will be the center of the program in Vietnam. LED Dental has also agreed to provide the research project with four VELscope Vx systems as a gift in kind valued at $13,392.
"Oral cancer is one of the most common cancers in Vietnam. ... One in four patients admitted to the Oncology Hospital is diagnosed with advanced oral cancer. The VELscope Vx will be used as the first step of the mobile screening program to enhance the visualization of the oral mucosal changes," said Dr. Poh, a professor and oral pathologist at UBC and British Columbia Cancer Agency, in a release.
