Welcome to Spark CPD

Early Detection and Diagnosis of Oral Cancer and Oral Medicine Conditions

Aims:

This course aims to:

• ✅ Provide all learners with a comprehensive understanding of the importance of early detection of mouth cancer.
• ✅ Emphasize the significance of performing a thorough extra- and intra-oral examination in dental practice.
• ✅ Deliver an in-depth understanding of oral anatomy, pathology, and the differential diagnosis of oral cancer.
• ✅ Explore premalignant lesions, squamous cell carcinoma, and salivary gland tumours, focusing on their clinical presentation and diagnostic features.
• ✅ Develop learners’ ability to recognise and manage common oral medicine conditions, with a focus on clinical assessment and patient-centred care.
• ✅ Strengthen clinical skills in history taking, lesion description, and appropriate referral for suspected malignancies or oral medicine conditions.

Objectives:

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• ✅ Identify the early signs and symptoms of oral cancer through systematic clinical examination.
• ✅ Recognise common oral medicine conditions and differentiate them from potentially malignant or malignant lesions.
• ✅ Describe oral lesions accurately, using standard clinical terminology (site, size, shape, colour, surface texture, margins, and associated features).
• ✅ Ask relevant diagnostic questions to obtain a comprehensive patient history that supports accurate diagnosis.
• ✅ Understand the pathology, risk factors, and clinical course of squamous cell carcinoma, premalignant lesions, and salivary gland tumours.
• ✅ Apply knowledge of oral anatomy and pathology to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.
• ✅ Differentiate between benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions, and know when and how to refer for further investigation or specialist management.

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this course, learners will be able to:

• ✅ Conduct a comprehensive extra- and intra-oral examination confidently and systematically.
• ✅ Identify and describe oral lesions accurately using correct clinical descriptors.
• ✅ Recognise and differentiate between common oral medicine conditions, premalignant lesions, and oral cancers.
• ✅ Diagnose and manage conditions affecting the oral mucosa and perioral tissues with a clear understanding of pathology.
• ✅ Formulate appropriate clinical questions during patient assessment to aid diagnosis.
• ✅ Explain the features, risk factors, and management pathways for squamous cell carcinoma and salivary gland tumours.
• ✅ Implement early detection strategies in everyday dental practice to improve patient prognosis.