Seeing Beyond the Obvious: Improving Oral Cancer Detection in Practice

Oral cancer remains a significant public health concern, with early detection playing a critical role in improving patient outcomes. This course will provide a practical, clinically focused approach to oral cancer screening, emphasizing techniques that can be readily integrated into everyday dental practice. Participants will review risk assessment, head and neck examination, and intraoral evaluation, with a focus on recognizing subtle and early signs of disease. Through case-based discussion and clinical insights, this course aims to enhance diagnostic confidence and support timely identification and referral of suspicious lesions.

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

•    Perform a systematic extraoral and intraoral examination for oral cancer screening 
•    Identify common risk factors associated with oral cancer and incorporate risk assessment into routine patient care 
•    Recognize early and suspicious clinical presentations of oral potentially malignant disorders and oral cancer 
•    Determine appropriate documentation, follow-up, and referral for patients with abnormal findings

ANMOL BRAR, DMD, MS is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry, where she focuses on predoctoral dental education, clinical diagnostics, and simulation-based training. Her teaching emphasizes patient evaluation, head and neck examination, and diagnostic reasoning. Her scholarly work centers on improving clinical competency through simulation-based education, and she is actively involved in initiatives to advance early detection of oral cancer in underserved populations.