FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RICHMOND (January 19, 2016) – A recreation center filled with people coming and going and in the middle of it all…a dental chair?

That’s right. On Friday, January 29 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., the Virginia Dental Association (VDA) will bring a portable dental chair to the Audrey Moore RECenter in Annandale (8100 Braddock Road) and the Spring Hill RECenter in McLean (1239 Spring Hill Road). At each location, VDA member dentists will provide screenings for oral cancer. ***The media is invited to either location for photos, videos and interviews with dentists and people who receive the screenings.***

Anyone is welcome to sit in the dental chair to receive a two-minute screening for oral cancer. The process is non-invasive and does not require instruments; the dentist simply checks in and around the mouth area for abnormalities. Each year, 42,000 people are diagnosed with and 8,000 die from oral cancer. That’s why the VDA wants to make sure all Virginians are screened for the deadly disease.

“We are excited to bring our ‘Where’s the Chair?’ campaign to Fairfax County,” says Dr. Richard Taliaferro, president of the VDA. “We expect to catch the public by surprise with the dental chair in such an uncommon place, but every Virginian needs to be screened for oral cancer so why not take the message right to the people?”

Already “The Chair” has appeared at public events in Hampton Roads, Roanoke, Richmond and Charlottesville. Each time, VDA member dentists screened people “off the street.” In Roanoke, Dr. David Black even conducted an oral cancer screening on a news anchor live on the air.

At the event, the VDA will provide information on oral health services and how to find a local VDA member dentist. People can also snap “Healthy Selfies” while in the dental chair to share on social media and encourage friends and family to be screened for oral cancer.

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