Know more about Oral Cancer and HPV from this course and be able to engage with patients about this!
Oral and oropharyngeal cancer continues to represent a significant global public health issue. While the disease may occur with no prior history, traditional risk factors have included smoking and alcohol consumption in a population made up predominantly of males in the 5th to 7th decades of life often involving high risk intraoral sites such as the floor of mouth, lower lip, and ventral/lateral surfaces of the tongue.
The average 5-year survival rate has essentially remained unchanged for the past several decades ranging between 56 – 60%. This poorer prognosis is particularly high due to this disease being routinely discovered in advanced stages of development – often stage III or IV.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participant will be able to:
- Apply the “ask-look-feel” protocol for our patient’s routine extra-oral/intra-oral examination embracing a heightened awareness for potentially high-risk lesions occurring within the oral cavity.
- Discern the prevalence and risk factors for HPV related oropharyngeal carcinoma.
- Discuss the various tools/steps used in arriving at either a differential or definitive diagnosis of oral/oropharyngeal carcinoma.
- Recognize current treatment modalities for oral/oropharyngeal carcinoma including potential complications and side-effects with an emphasis on the importance of pre-treatment dental management initiatives.
- Engage with patients about oral cancer and in particular HPV related oropharyngeal carcinoma – the role of the oral health treatment team in answering the questions that patients will have.
