Early identification of oral lesions can have a dramatic impact on mortality rates. New painless testing with a brush biopsy, now being used by dentists across the country, enables patients to receive an early diagnosis for localized oral cancer, boosting the five- years survival rate to approximately 80 percent, compared to 19 percent for patients who are diagnosed with advanced cancers. According to the Surgeon General's report on oral health, only 15 percent of the population has received an oral cancer examination. The American Dental Association is sponsoring a nationwide public service campaign to alert Americans to the importance of small red and white sores in their mouths and to encourage them to talk to their dentists about oral cancer tests. A sore or lesion in the month that does not heal (most common symptom) A lump or thickening in the cheek A painless white or red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth Cigarette, cigar, pipe smoking, chew or snuff tobacco Excessive consumption of alcohol Family history of cancer Twenty-five percent of oral cancer victims have not used tobacco and have no other known risk factors In 1999, an estimated 30,200 new cases of oral cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. Approximately 50 percent of the patients diagnosed with oral cancer will die within 5 years, causing more than 8,000 deaths annually, as compared to melanoma, which accounts for more than 7, 000 deaths per year. The mortality rate associated with oral cancer has not improved in decades. Males are more likely to get oral cancer than females, but one third of oral cancer patients are women, up from 15 percent 30 years ago.