{"id":18078,"date":"2026-04-21T10:17:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=18078"},"modified":"2026-04-21T10:21:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T14:21:30","slug":"cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>April 21, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Daniel Hunsucker, Daniel.hunsucker@vdh.virginia.gov<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month<\/em><\/p>\n<p>WISE, Va. \u2013 This month, the Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts want to remind every adult to get screened for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/oral-health\/about\/about-oral-cancer.html\">oral cancer<\/a>. Like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cancer\/prevention\/screening.html\">other cancer screenings<\/a>, oral cancer screenings are an effective means of finding cancer at its early, highly curable stages. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/types\/oral-cavity-and-oropharyngeal-cancer\/detection-diagnosis-staging.html\">Early detection<\/a> is the first step toward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/types\/head-and-neck\/patient\/adult\/lip-mouth-treatment-pdq\">a successful treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOral health is a vital part of overall health and well-being; and oral cancer screenings are a simple but powerful tool to catch problems early when they are most treatable,\u201d said Reisa Sloce, district director Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts. \u201cWhen we make time for prevention and screening, we\u2019re not just protecting ourselves\u2014we\u2019re strengthening the health of our families and our entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The use of tobacco and alcohol is a leading cause of oral cancer because it leads to damage of the DNA of cells inside your mouth and throat. Another cause is through exposure to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cancer\/hpv\/oropharyngeal-cancer.html\">human papillomavirus virus (HPV)<\/a>. The quickest growing segment of the oral cancer population is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nidcr.nih.gov\/grants-funding\/funded-research\/research-investments-advances\/hpv-oropharyngeal-cancer\">young, healthy, non-smokers<\/a> due to the connection to this HPV.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mouthcancerfoundation.org\/self-examination\/\">Self-examinations<\/a> can also help detect oral cancer. Consult a healthcare provider if you find any of the following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/content\/uploads\/sites\/27\/oral-cancer-rack-card-9-10-25.pdf\">conditions<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A sore on your lip or in your mouth that doesn\u2019t heal.<\/li>\n<li>Unusual bleeding, pain or numbness in your mouth.<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty or pain when chewing or swallowing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To help prevent oral cancer, your local health department suggests these steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Limit Alcohol Use<\/strong>: Limiting your intake to no more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aicr.org\/cancer-prevention\/recommendations\/limit-alcohol-consumption\/\">two drinks<\/a> a day for men and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aicr.org\/cancer-prevention\/recommendations\/limit-alcohol-consumption\/\">one drink<\/a> a day for women can lower your risk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid Tobacco<\/strong>: Never using or <a href=\"https:\/\/quitnowvirginia.org\/\">quitting tobacco<\/a>, to include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, cigars, and\/or pipes, reduces your risk.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid HPV Infection: <\/strong>Talk to your healthcare provider about the HPV vaccination. The vaccine can prevent new infections of certain types of HPV associated with oral cancer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eat Healthy: <\/strong>Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables in your diet. These foods contain essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help protect cells from damage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get Regular Checkups: <\/strong>Visit your healthcare provider and dentist regularly. The earlier oral cancer is found, the greater your chances of beating it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/oral-health\/\">Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Dental Health Program<\/a> is designed to improve equitable access to dental care and public health interventions through community-based prevention programs.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about the Dental Health Program at VDH, contact the Cumberland Plateau Health District at 276-889-7621 or the LENOWISCO Health District at 276-328-8000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>April 21, 2026 Media Contact: Daniel Hunsucker, Daniel.hunsucker@vdh.virginia.gov Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month WISE, Va. \u2013 This month, the Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts want to remind every adult to get screened for oral cancer. Like other cancer screenings, oral cancer screenings [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":518,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1511,96,1686,348,1685,1676,1683,161,1682,1632,364,1357,1684,663,153,152],"class_list":["post-18078","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-alcohol","tag-cumberland-plateau-health-district","tag-dental-health-program","tag-hpv","tag-hpv-infection","tag-hpv-vaccination","tag-human-papillomavirus-virus","tag-lenowisco-health-district","tag-oral-cancer","tag-oral-health","tag-reisa-sloce","tag-screening","tag-self-examinations","tag-tobacco","tag-vdh","tag-virginia-department-of-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"April 21, 2026 Media Contact: Daniel Hunsucker, Daniel.hunsucker@vdh.virginia.gov Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month WISE, Va. \u2013 This month, the Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts want to remind every adult to get screened for oral cancer. Like other cancer screenings, oral cancer screenings [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-21T14:21:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/public-relations-contacts\\\/2026-regional-news-releases\\\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/public-relations-contacts\\\/2026-regional-news-releases\\\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health - Newsroom\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-21T14:17:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-21T14:21:30+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/public-relations-contacts\\\/2026-regional-news-releases\\\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/public-relations-contacts\\\/2026-regional-news-releases\\\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/public-relations-contacts\\\/2026-regional-news-releases\\\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Newsroom\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"2026 Regional News Releases\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/public-relations-contacts\\\/2026-regional-news-releases\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Newsroom\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health - Newsroom","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health - Newsroom","og_description":"April 21, 2026 Media Contact: Daniel Hunsucker, Daniel.hunsucker@vdh.virginia.gov Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month WISE, Va. \u2013 This month, the Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts want to remind every adult to get screened for oral cancer. Like other cancer screenings, oral cancer screenings [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/","og_site_name":"Newsroom","article_modified_time":"2026-04-21T14:21:30+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/","url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/","name":"Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health - Newsroom","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-21T14:17:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-21T14:21:30+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/cumberland-plateau-and-lenowisco-health-districts-stress-importance-of-oral-health\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Newsroom","item":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"2026 Regional News Releases","item":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Cumberland Plateau and LENOWISCO Health Districts Stress Importance of Oral Health"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/","name":"Newsroom","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18078"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18082,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18078\/revisions\/18082"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}