MSSU dental hygienist catches Ozark man’s cancer symptoms

It was a small little area in the mouth, but Emily Valence’s training as a dental hygienist at Missouri Southern State University told her something wasn’t right.

Valence was examining her future father-in-law, Mike Eddings, when she caught a symptom of oral cancer.

It happened last fall. Within the next few days, Eddings – who lives in Ozark, Mo. – saw his regular dentist and then a specialist who determined it was a pre-malignant cancerous lesion. He says he hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

Kim Rogers, associate professor of dental hygiene, said early detection of oral cancer makes a big difference in terms of mortality.

Eddings said he feels lucky that his future daughter-in-law made the discovery early on.

“I play trumpet,” he said. “I started taking lessons again after this just to fine-tune (my skills). I can tell it’s a little different, but I can still play. Had the cancer gone unnoticed, it may have been too late.”