Oral Cancer Awareness for Dental Pros: Elevate Your Standard of Care

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and as dental professionals, you play a crucial role in early detection and prevention. Your work is invaluable, yet, many oral cancers go undiagnosed until it’s too late. We all here the chatter, who has time for that? I see too many providers rushing through assessments or skipping them altogether. It’s time to raise the standard and your contribution is vital to saving lives!

The Reality of Oral Cancer 👄👅

Oral and oropharyngeal cancers are increasing, with HPV-related cases on the rise. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, nearly 54,000 Americans will be diagnosed this year, with a five-year survival rate of only 57% if caught late. The good news? Early detection boosts survival rates to 80-90%. This means there's a significant potential for improvement in our early detection rates, giving us hope and motivation to do better (Oral Cancer Foundation, CDC)

Symptoms of Oral Cancer 👄👅

⚠️ A sore that does not heal.

⚠️Swelling or unusual bleeding.

⚠️Difficulty performing daily functions like breathing, speaking, chewing, or swallowing food.

⚠️Pain in the mouth or throat that won't go away.

⚠️Persistent cough.

Challenges in Clinical Practice 😷

🚫 Time Constraints: How often do we “not have time” for thorough screenings? Prioritization is key.

🚫 Patient Pushback: Some patients resist extra screenings. Educate them on why it matters.

🚫 Lack of Training: Many clinicians aren’t confident in identifying suspicious lesions.

🚫 Lack of Calibration: Couple that lack of confidence with being poo-pooed when you ask your Doc to investigate something you thought was suspicious, and you will continue to second-guess yourself.

Raise the Standard – Be the Badass Hygienist 💥

✅ Have a TEAM Calibration Meeting to discuss courses to take together and calibrate your verbiage and implementation for oral cancer screenings.

✅ Commit to Annual Oral Cancer Screenings for ALL patients.

✅ Update your medical intake form to ask questions about oral cancer symptoms.

✅ Educate Patients on risk factors, including HPV, smoking, alcohol use, and ORAL BIOFILM!

✅ Document Everything—thorough records can save lives- take IOPs and IOS to improve documentation, future clinical comparisons, and ease referrals.

✅ Use Fluorescence Technology (e.g., ORALID) for enhanced detection.

✅ Elevate your clinical skills with The Cotten Method: https://cottenmethod.com

✅ Need some motivation? Listen to Susan Cotten's Episode Here ⤵️

Early detection is our superpower as dental professionals. Let’s stop making excuses and make a difference this Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Remember, your role in early detection is crucial, and your efforts can save lives.  

Ditch the prophy mill mindset—step up, own the standard of care, and lead with the passion and purpose you were born for! 🚀🔥

Scientific & Educational Resources:

• Oral Cancer Foundation – https://oralcancerfoundation.org

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/oral

• American Dental Association (ADA) on Oral Cancer – https://www.ada.org

• Susan Cotten’s Oral Cancer Screening Course – Elevate your clinical skills with The Cotten Method: https://cottenmethod.com

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XO,

Melissa