Speaker Info

This patient did not smoke, was Caucasian, and did not drink. Are you at risk for oral cancer? Of course, you are! Nearly everyone is at risk for getting this deadly disease! Are you happy with the fact that the survival rate is still only 53% and that someone dies from oral cancer every hour of every day? What are you doing about it?

DESCRIPTION:

The understood risk factors for oral cancer have changed recently, and the battle is raging against oral cancer. The technologies of today are increasingly giving dentists and hygienists the ability to detect potentially malignant conditions at the earliest stages. These sophisticated but simple to use diagnostic modalities range from specialized non-invasive direct optical fluorescence visualization technologies, like the VELscope® Vx, to-easy-to-use minimally invasive tissue collection techniques designed for use by general dentists. Early stage lesions are difficult to see with the human eye under normal examination conditions, but new technologies help us perform better exams to find potentially deadly lesions at their earliest stages. There is an abundance of published research that makes one question the ethics of not being proactive in oral disease detection as early as possible, but the topic of adjunctive muscosal screening modalities remains controversial.

This course is designed to simplify the identification protocols for early oral cancer detection and to directly address the controversy surrounding oral cancer screening technologies with "real life" examples. Screening, diagnosis, documentation, and patient management are all important aspects of this process. This course will enhance the ability of all dental professionals and staff to confidently deal with these important issues for enhanced dental practice.

NOTE: This is not a typical oral pathology course. The focus is on early identification of mucosal lesions. The management of of definitive oral cancer is left to the role of qualified oral pathologists and oncologists.

--DR. DEREK LEE	--ERIN SCHUMAKER, RDH

OBJECTIVES:

Upon the completion of this course, attendees should be able to:

Understand current literature about oral cancer, systemic disease links, and screening technologies

• Adequately describe and perform a basic physical oral cancer screening
• Discuss modern early detection tools and their indications, advantages, and disadvantages
• Establish a protocol for referral and or performance of biopsy techniques
• Identify risk factors and suspicious oral lesions, with and without adjunctive screening devices
• Understand the science, technology and process of oral mucosal screenings utilizing direct optical fluorescence visualization techniques for oral cancer and potentially malignant disease
• Implement appropriate communication skills, mechanisms, and terminology to use with patients when discussing findings
• Understand basic medico-legal risk management issues related to early diagnosis.

Optional hands-on participation workshop activities include:

• Manual and visual head and neck examination techniques
• Direct optical fluorescence visualization techniques
• Biopsy techniques performed on pig tongues
• Interactive case discussions