Walking for Early Detection: Oral Cancer Awareness and Why It Matters
On Saturday, September 26, members of the Glacial Sands team joined the 9th Annual NIDS Oral Cancer Awareness 5K Run and 2K Walk at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Crown Point. Hundreds of walkers and runners from across Northwest Indiana came out for the same reason: oral cancer is beatable when it is found early, and too often it is not.
Here is what the numbers say, and what you can do about them.
The facts
Oral and oropharyngeal cancers account for roughly one death every hour in the United States. The National Cancer Institute estimated 59,660 new cases and 12,770 deaths in 2025.
The tragedy is that early detection changes everything. When oral cancer is found at a localized stage, the five-year survival rate is about 86 percent, and the Oral Cancer Foundation reports survival reaching 80 to 90 percent for the earliest-stage cancers. When it has spread to distant parts of the body, survival drops to around 40 percent. Most cases are still found late, because early signs are subtle and easy to dismiss.
Who is at risk
Tobacco use and heavy alcohol consumption remain the major risk factors. But the fastest-growing group of patients looks nothing like the traditional profile: HPV-associated cancers of the oropharynx are rising, including among young, healthy nonsmokers. If you think oral cancer is only a smoker's disease, the data says otherwise.
Warning signs worth two weeks of your attention
The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons recommends a monthly self-exam and a prompt professional evaluation for anything that does not resolve. See your dentist or surgeon if any of the following lasts more than two weeks:
- Red, white, or dark patches in the soft tissue of the mouth
- A sore that does not heal or bleeds easily
- A lump, swelling, or hard spot in the mouth, cheek, or neck
- Persistent mouth pain or numbness
- Difficulty chewing, swallowing, or feeling like food catches in the throat
Two weeks. That is the threshold. Anything persistent beyond that deserves a look from a professional.
Where Glacial Sands fits
As oral and maxillofacial surgeons, Dr. Sonia Bennett and the Glacial Sands team diagnose and surgically treat diseases of the head, neck, and mouth every day. Every patient exam includes an oral cancer screening, and when something looks suspicious, we move quickly: clinical evaluation, biopsy when indicated, and a clear path forward.
We work as an extension of your general dentist, not a replacement. Most suspicious findings are first spotted during routine dental visits, which makes general dentists the front line of early detection. When you send a patient our way with a concern, we evaluate promptly, communicate findings back, and return the patient to your care. That is how the referral relationship is supposed to work, and it is how we practice it.
What you can do this week
- Do the self-exam. It takes two minutes in front of a mirror.
- Keep your regular dental visits. Screenings happen there.
- If something in your mouth has not healed in two weeks, call your dentist or call us directly at (219) 964-4321.
Awareness walks are one morning a year. Early detection is every day. We were proud to walk alongside our Northwest Indiana dental community on September 26, and prouder still of the work that happens the other 364 days: dentists who look, surgeons who act, and patients who ask.
NWI Study Club | Led by Dr. Sonia Bennett, DDS, board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Glacial Sands Oral, Facial, Implant Surgery, Chesterton, IN