Oral Cancer: Ujjain Doctor's App To Raise Awareness, Propel Early Treatment Of Deadly Disease

Ujjain: Concerned about the rapidly increasing incidence of oral cancer in India, and with the aim of preventing and raising awareness about this serious disease, Dr Imit Pal Saluja, a dental surgeon based out of Ujjain, is developing an app — the Oral Cancer Interactive 3D App — which the copyright for which the Indian government has recently registered.

Dr Saluja explained that a team of seven people is working on the app to update it, and that it will be launched soon. The goal of the app is educational, to raise public awareness and to save lives by ensuring patients receive proper and affordable treatment in time.

The dental surgeon told ETV Bharat, "The app will soon be available in all languages. Besides self help tools, it will contain people's stories. If you have mouth ulcers, white film, swelling, or other problems that you consider normal, but could later become fatal — while making your face look scary — this app will help you get treated on time."

Dr Saluja added, "While you can use this app completely free, the cost of developing it is estimated at around Rs 50 lakh."

He also claimed: "Through this app, everything will be visible in 3D images. You can take a photo of your mouth and compare it with the 3D images to diagnose the disease. You will get free advice for proper treatment."

Further, he explained, "This app is being developed using Augmented Reality (AR) technology, and will be available on Android. Its purpose is to help patients identify the disease early. The biggest problem with oral cancers is that by the time a patient reaches out to a doctor, the cancer has already reached Stage 3 or Stage 4. If a patient reaches a doctor early, they will get better treatment."

Dr Saluja also said, "India has become the oral cancer capital of the world. This is a big problem. There is a lack of awareness among people, who ignore minor pain and don't realise that cancer is developing in their mouth. They consult a doctor only after the pain becomes severe. This app will help them identify the symptoms and ensure proper treatment."

Dr Saluja, who is a Professor and the President of the Indian Dental Association, said that during visits to camps to raise awareness that he and his team conduct from time to time, he has seen many cases of children suffering from oral cancer. Citing the example of a 16-year-old child, without revealing his identity, he said that many orphan children who live on the streets get addicted to beedi, cigarette, and gutkha, and suffer from oral cancer.

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