LAS VEGAS--May 12, 2009--Tobacco use among Nevada high school students is increasing, according to data collected from more than 5,000 oral cancer screenings by the UNLV School of Dental Medicine Crackdown on Cancer program. In the past nine months, checkups revealed 22 percent of Nevada high school students actively use tobacco-based products - a 6 percent increase from the previous year. (Nationally, roughly 20 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes, according to a 2007 survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Additionally, the program found 227 tissue abnormalities in high school students from around the state.

Established in 2001, Crackdown on Cancer is a tobacco education and intervention program presented to Nevada middle and high schools in an effort to prevent addiction to tobacco, marijuana and methamphetamines. Participating students receive information about the risks of tobacco-based products, secondhand smoke, oral cancer, gum disease and tooth decay, along with intervention and tobacco cessation counseling. Additionally, dentists and dental hygienists perform comprehensive oral cancer screenings in a mobile dental clinic. The program is supported by a grant from the Fund for a Healthy Nevada.

For more information or to scheduling a Crackdown on Cancer visit, members of the public may call (702) 774-2545, or visit http://dentalschool.unlv.edu/.

o Dental school staff conducted the Crackdown on Cancer program at middle and high schools in six counties throughout Nevada this year: Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Lyon and Washoe.

Among the findings from data collected July 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009:
o 5,348 - screenings conducted at high schools throughout Nevada
o 22 percent - average rate of tobacco users among Nevada high schools who received oral cancer screenings
o 227 - tissue abnormalities found in high school students who received oral cancer screenings in Clark County, Reno and rural Nevada
o Chewing tobacco is used more often in Reno and rural Nevada high schools than Las Vegas.
o Marijuana and cigarette use is prevalent in Reno and rural Nevada.
o 4 percent - average rate of tobacco users among 1,891 Clark County middle school students who reported in student evaluations they use tobacco