4th Annual Oral Cancer Symposium

Date: Friday, June 5, 2009
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuition: $265 Doctor, $99 Auxiliary/Hygienist/Staff (continental breakfast and luncheon included)
Tuition Special: Bring one staff member at $99 all additional staff members are only $50!
Credits: 7 Hours - Lecture
AGD Code: 730

To register please call (617) 636-6629 or email paige.ambrose@tufts.edu

Course Speakers:

Brian R. Hill, Cancer Survivor and Founder/Executive Director of the Oral Cancer Foundation, Inc.

Michael A. Kahn, D.D.S. Professor and Chair,
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

Mark W. Lingen, D.D.S., Ph.D. Associate Professor, Departments of Pathology, Medicine, and Radiation & Cellular Oncology at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine

Brad K. Rodu, D.D.S. Professor of Medicine, Endowed Chair, Tobacco Harm Reduction Research, University of Louisville

David T. W. Wong, D.M.D., D.M.Sc.Associate Dean of Research, Professor of Oral Biology, Oral Biology and Medicine, and Director of Dental Research Institute, UCLA School of Dentistry

Course Description:

See the proposed course schedule.

Brain Hill will discuss: The Changing Demographics of the Oral Cancer Population in the US.

Historic demographics related to oral cancer incidence are no longer valid. We need to understand the new etiologies that are bringing patients to OC, that are completely different than these historic norms. The most important of these is the human papillomavirus16. In order to determine who is at risk, who needs to be screened in your practice, and to catch this disease at early highly survivable stages, understanding this paradigm shift in the population of OC patients is vital. Visual and tactile screenings continue to be the basis of early discovery. But are these still adequate? Are adjunctive devices helpful or not? If so which ones? Answers to these questions will provide you with information that allows you to provide the optimum care to your patient populations.

Dr. Mark Lingen will discuss: Oral Cancer: New Technologies for Early Detection and Prevention

Discuss the potential utility of the currently available oral cancer screening aids
Introduce developing technologies that allow for the molecular diagnosis of premalignant lesions
Discuss the major chemopreventive initiatives that are being tested in world-wide clinical trials
Emphasize the role of dental health care professionals in early detection and chemoprevention measures for oral cancer

Dr. Brad Rodu will discuss: Tobacco Harm Reduction: An Alternative Approach to Smoking Control

At the conclusion of the lecture, participants will be knowledgeable about:

The failure of conventional smoking cessation programs that emphasize nicotine and tobacco abstinence.
The differential health risks of smoking and smokeless tobacco use.
The health effects of nicotine.
The underlying scientific foundation for tobacco harm reduction.
Patterns of tobacco use in Sweden, and their impact on public health.
The growing discussion of tobacco harm reduction among tobacco research and policy experts.

Dr. David Wong will discuss: Saliva Detection for Oral Cancer

Saliva as a diagnostic tool
Saliva diagnostic alphabets: the proteome and transcriptome
Point-of-care biosensor technology
Application for oral cancer detection

This course is sponsored in part by unrestricted educational grants from Inside Dentistry, Dentsply International Inc, and Zila.