It was sobering. Heart-wrenching. Humbling. And inspiring. It was the story told by our opening speaker at Delta Dental of Missouri’s futureFOCUS2019 Conference in St. Louis in April. From the podium, I had the honor of introducing Eva Grayzel to our audience of healthcare, benefits and business professionals. Eva is a master storyteller. A performance artist. An author. And—she’s an oral cancer survivor.
In 1998, at age 33—Eva was diagnosed with stage IV cancer of the tongue and was given a 15 percent chance of survival. Following her diagnosis, she endured a partial tongue reconstruction, neck dissection and rounds of radiation therapy. During her presentation, “Tongue-Tied: A Story NOT Silenced by Oral Cancer,” Eva shared her journey through diagnosis, intensive treatment—and ultimately, recovery.
For over a decade, Eva has told her story as a catalyst for change—speaking in the healthcare industry from the patient and oral cancer survivor perspective. She founded the Six-Step ScreeningTM oral cancer awareness campaign to make the public aware of the existence of oral cancer and its early signs—and to inspire oral health professionals to educate patients about oral cancer and perform thorough screenings. More information is available for dentists and hygienists at https://www.sixstepscreening.org/dentist-rdh/. For her initiative, Eva was recognized by the American Academy of Oral Medicine and awarded honorary membership.
Eva beat the odds. But, not everyone does. One American dies every hour of every day from oral cancer. As Oral Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close—we thank you for all you do to educate your patients and help save lives through oral cancer screenings and early detection.
At the conference, we also heard Daniel Sindelar, DMD—co-founder, past president and board member of the American Academy of Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH); founder and director of Oral Genomics; editor-in-chief of the OSH News Network; and co-founder and CEO of Keystone Bio.
For the past 10 years, Dr. Sindelar has played a key role globally in establishing oral bacteria’s connection to systemic disease. In his presentation, “Heart Disease, Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease: Does It All Start in the Mouth?”—Dr. Sindelar highlighted connections between oral health and overall health, noting oral inflammation as the number-one source of inflammation in humans, contributing to a variety of chronic infections, conditions and diseases. He shared stories of patients who had varying stages of periodontal disease, as well as heart disease, diabetes and dementia, whose dental health and overall health showed improvements following gum therapy and better oral hygiene, which reduced oral inflammation. Delta Dental of Missouri’s Healthy Smiles, Healthy Lives® dental benefits plan offers added benefits to our eligible covered members, including extra cleanings for those with or at high risk for periodontal disease.
Dr. Sindelar’s message to everyone: A healthy mouth can help all of us live our best lives.
As fellow dental care professionals—we salute you. We know you play a critical role at the frontlines in battling dental disease and in spotting other potential health issues for your patients to help improve their health outcomes.
Sincerely,
E. B. Rob Goren
President and CEO
