ubmitted by Mary Claire Dover

The Christian Service Center of Gulf Shores and Sacred Heart’s Mission in Motion Team will hold free Oral Health Care Screenings to the public on Nov 30. This easy and painless test uses a special light source to check the mouth to identify anything unusual or atypical in the mouth. Please note, this test checks for the possibility of the presence oral cancer in the mouth and is not to be confused with a routine dental exam.

Oral cancer itself is off the radar of most Americans, but here’s a reason why you should have this test. The Oral Cancer Foundation  reports the death rate associated with oral cancer is particularly high not because it is hard to discover or diagnose, but due to the cancer being routinely discovered late in its development. Typical risk factors include the use of tobacco, smokeless tobacco and exposure to the HPV virus.

 Test location: Gulf Shores First Presbyterian Church Parking lot.  Time: 9 am to 11:30 am. No appointment or ID is required. For questions call the CSC at 968-5256 or Sacred Heart at 850 416-7826.