CDA Essentials 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 6

N ews and E vents 25 Issue 6 | 2019 | The results of a new literature review 1 showed that dentists play an important role in identifying oral cancers and their precursor lesions in patients. Led byDr. MarcoMagalhaes, the research teamof oral pathologists at the TorontoOral Pathology Service (TOPS) in theUniversity of Toronto’s (Uof T) faculty of dentistry found that “dentists inOntario are detectingmore cases of oral cancer and pre-cancer than ever before—and it’s saving lives.” 2 Literature Review Finds Dentists are Detecting More Cases of Oral Cancer References 1. Abadeh A, Ali AA, Bradley G, Magalhaes MA. Increase in detection of oral cancer and precursor lesions by dentists: Evidence from an oral and maxillofacial pathology service. JAmDentAssoc. 2019 Jun;150(6):531-39. Available: jada.ada.org/ article/S0002-8177(19)30043-1/fulltext 2. University ofToronto Faculty of Dentistry. Dentistsdetectingmorecasesoforalcancer,analysisshows. Available: dentistry.utoronto.ca/ news/dentists-detecting-more-cases-oral-cancer-analysis-shows Early Detection As with many types of cancer, early detection of oral cancers results in higher survival rates (80% over five years). When cancer is detected at an advanced stage, survival rates drop dramatically (30% over five years). But gaps in the availability of comprehensive literature reviews that establish detection trends and oral disease diagnosis continue to exist. The Study According to the U of T’s faculty of dentistry, researchers analyzed all accessions (i.e., new entries) to the Toronto Oral Pathology Service at the U of T faculty of dentistry from 2005 through 2015 using a custom- built database. They used these data to calculate the temporal trends in the diagnoses of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The Results • 63,483 biopsy specimens were submitted • 2,679 cases of OED were diagnosed • 828 cases of OSCC were diagnosed • Results indicate a 3.8-fold increase in the number of epithelial dysplasia from 2005 to 2015 • Results also indicate a 1.8-fold increase in the mucosal carcinomas from 2005 to 2015 The rate of increase of OED and OSCC was significantly higher than the rate of increase of total oral carcinomas diagnosed in the region, the population changes, and the number of dentists in the region. Overall, the analysis indicates that dentists are indeed increasingly involved in detecting cancer and malignant disorders. Now, the U of T team is calling for increased awareness and education among dentists and oral healthcare professionals to increase early detection. a