Online PR News – 14-March-2012 –Chicago, IL – Dr. Steven Koos, a Downtown Chicago oral surgeon and owner of ORA® Oral Surgery & Implant Studio, is uniquely offering patients an oral HPV screening test at his Chicago Loop oral surgery practice. The test, called the OraRisk® HPV Salivary Diagnostic Test, screens for the presence or absence of the human papillomavirus within the mouth and throat.

Human papillomavirus, also known as HPV, is among the most common of all virus groups worldwide. Specific forms of HPV can pose potential health risks and are considered to possibly increase a person’s chance of developing both cervical cancer in women and oral cancer in both women and men. With early detection, monitoring and treatment can be performed with the aim of preventing subsequent health risks that may result from the presence of an HPV infection within the mouth.

The OraRisk HPV diagnostic test is extremely accurate, quick, easy and non-invasive. Dr. Koos can administer the test in only a few minutes when patients visit his Chicago oral surgery practice. In addition to determining if HPV is present in the mouth, the diagnostic tool can also identify the specific type of HPV present, making it easier to determine what the proper course of action should be. Dr. Koos recommends this simple HPV screening test to all patients. This especially includes patients that are considered at risk for oral cancer, have a family history of oral cancer, exhibit signs and symptoms of oral cancer, have suspicious looking oral lesions or are sexually active. Certain strains of HPV (HPV 16 and HPV 18) are among the most common sexually transmitted infections in the United States and can be transmitted through oral or genital contact. Approximately 6 million new cases of HPV are identified each year.

“We are strongly recommending that all our patients consider being screened for oral HPV in much the same way that doctors encourage women to maintain regularly scheduled pap tests or suggest that men obtain PSA tests,” explains the Chicago, Illinois oral surgeon. “Certain types of the HPV virus can lead to potentially serious health risks, including oral cancer. As with other types of screening tests, if the virus is identified early monitoring and treatment can be initiated.”

Up until now, many patients have been unaware that a screening test exists for oral HPV and have not understood the potential risks that the virus can cause if it goes undetected. Patients are also unaware of how prevalent oral HPV infection actually is and Dr. Koos is trying to change that. ORA® Oral Surgery & Implant Studio is unique in offering the OraRisk HPV Salivary Diagnostic Test to patients, and Dr. Koos is actively encouraging patients to consider the quick, painless and easy-to-administer test. This initiative is in line with the Chicago Loop oral surgeon’s general philosophy of running his practice with a focus on individualized patient care and a commitment to staying up to date on the latest advances in the fields of medicine and dentistry.

“It’s worth a minute to identify potential health risks,” says Dr. Koos. “As a medical and dental professional, I feel it is my job to make patients aware of the fact that a risk does exist and to inform them of the steps they can take to detect any potential threat to their health. That’s why I am encouraging all of my patients to have the oral HPV screening test performed when they visit my office.”

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ORA® Oral Surgery & Implant Studio is owned by Dr. Steven Koos, an oral surgeon in Downtown Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Koos is unique in offering the OraRisk HPV Salivary Diagnostic Test in his office, a test that can detect the presence of the human papillomavirus in the mouth and can identify the type of virus that is present. This diagnostic tool offers early detection of a virus that is believed to potentially increase the risk of oral cancer. For more information about the oral HPV screening tool offered by Dr. Koos, or to find out more about the other types of oral and jaw surgery the Chicago oral surgeon offers, visit ORA®‘s website at https://orasurgery.com.

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