UK College of Dentistry fighting oral cancer in Eastern Ky. with help of $1 million grant from United Health Foundation

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"The University of Kentucky’s College of Dentistry is launching a project to eradicate oral cancer in Eastern Kentucky," Dr. Stephanos Kyrkanides, dean of the college, writes in an op-ed for the Lexington Herald-Leader. "It’s an initiative that will address, head-on, barriers impacting oral health in the region — namely, a lack of awareness regarding oral health risks, and lack of access to opportunities for early diagnosis, dental care and treatment."

The project is funded partly with a $1 million grant from the United Health Foundation, which targets "the high prevalence of oral cancer in Harlan, Letcher and Pike counties," Kyrkanides writes.

The overall three-year program aims to create a better understanding among Eastern Kentuckians about "the symptoms of oral cancer, as well as raising awareness of the links between heavy alcohol and tobacco use and oral cancer," the dean says. "It also will implement about 1,000 oral cancer screenings at local health departments, help connect patients who need additional care to cancer specialists in Lexington, and aid in their travel to Lexington."