Cancer and Oral Health: Oral Complications and Dental Management

Cancer accounts for 23% of deaths in the US. It is a devastating disease that has many physical, emotional and social implications. Specifically, head and neck cancers affect approximately 3% of the US population. These cancers can lead to severe oral complications, even when treated. Despite recent advances in imaging, surgery, radiation and systemic therapies, the overall survival rate has only improved by about 15% in the last 50 years. Dentists play an integral role in the prevention of head and neck cancers and in the dental management of patients going through cancer treatment. This course will review the epidemiology of head and neck cancers, prevention methods, treatment modalities, and the role of the dental professional.

Learning Objectives:
- Describe the surgical, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, as they relate to a person`s oral health.
- Describe the dental management protocols for patients before, during, and after cancer treatments.
- Describe the presentation of head and neck cancers and their treatments.
- Describe how to perform oral cancer screenings.
- List the oral complications of cancer treatments.
- Understand recent advances in head and cancer treatments and prevention strategies.

  • Course Code:F9
    Note this course code to save time when registering
  • Day:Friday
  • Time:9:00 AM-11:59 AM
  • CE Credit:3
  • Type Of Course:Dental/Medical Subjects
  • Fee:Free With Registration
  • Location:Solana H&I
  • Audience:
    Dentist Dental Hygienist Dental Assistant Business/Office Team Lab Tech
  • Seating Taken:
    93%
Speaker: Dr. Ann Eshenaur Spolarich

Dr. Ann Eshenaur Spolarich

Ann Eshenaur Spolarich is an internationally recognized author and speaker on pharmacology and the care of medically complex patients. She has presented over 1,000 invited lectures and has over 125 professional publications. She is a Professor, Course Director of Oral Medicine and Pharmacology, and Assistant Dean for Research at the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, A.T. Still University (ATSU), where she teaches part-time in the Special Care Clinic. Ann is also a faculty member in the NYU Langone AEGD residency program at ATSU. Ann was awarded fellowship status in special care dental hygiene in 2016 and received the Education Award from the Special Care Dentistry Association in 2021.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Colgate, Philips, Kenvue

Speaker: Dr. Seena Patel

Dr. Seena Patel, DMD, MPH

Dr. Seena Patel is an orofacial pain and oral medicine dentist in Phoenix, AZ. She loves dentistry and began her journey at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health. There, she found her passion for public health, research, and oral diseases, and then completed a 2-year residency in orofacial pain and oral medicine. She is a Diplomate of both the American Board of Orofacial Pain and the American Board of Oral Medicine. She maintains her practice at Southwest Orofacial Group and serves as the Director of Oral Medicine and is an Associate Professor at the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health. She has also volunteered on the National Board of Dental Education Test Construction Committee, serves on the ADA Commission on Continuing Education Provider Recognition and the AzDA Council on Education, and is a peer reviewer for several dental journals. She believes that knowledge should be shared and loves speaking at medical and dental conferences.