Navigating the Dental Landscape for Cancer Patients
April 5, 2025 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Livestream Online Only)
Description
This course empowers dentists and members of the dental team who want to integrate cancer patients and survivors into their practice, but don’t always feel comfortable doing so. While obtaining a clear medical history can feel challenging, it doesn’t need to. Course attendees will learn up-to-date questions and tricks for medical history taking for patients who currently have cancer or who are cancer survivors. There are a number of common cancers, like breast cancer, where dental modifications can be important to prevent adverse outcomes that can result in patient dissatisfaction and complaints. These common cancers will be reviewed, along with the current dental modifications needed to avoid issues in your practice. Cancer patients can present with severe xerostomia and root decay that can be challenging, if not impossible, to treat. Prevention strategies will be discussed, including the important role hygienists and assistants can provide in the form of education and patient motivation. Clinical recommendations will be provided, like material selection and restorative technique, to allow you achieve restorative success in the xerostomic patient.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, the participant will be able to:
- Describe how to utilize patient records to obtain a cancer history, medical history and list of medications
- List the important questions to ask when a patient has a history of cancer
- Articulate the dental modifications needed for patients with common cancers
- Analyze up-to-date guidelines for patients at risk of MRONJ
- Identify patients with caries related to xerostomia
- Describe how to prevent and treat caries in the xerostomic patient
Speaker
Dr. Erin Watson DMD, MHSc
Dr. Erin Watson is a Clinician Investigator at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada, where she acts as the Deputy Chief of Dentistry. As a dental oncologist, Dr. Watson has been a general dentist for cancer patients for over a decade. Her research focus is on dental outcomes in head and neck cancer and hematologic cancer, with over 20 publications in peer-reviewed journals. She is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Dentistry at University of Toronto, where she teaches about dental management of cancer patients. She has lectured extensively about dental management of cancer patients and prevention of medication-related-osteonecrosis of the jaw, and is passionate about engaging dentists to safely treat patients in their practice.
Study Credits
This course provides up to 3.0 hours of Continuing Dental Education (CDE) Credits.
Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, University of Manitoba Nationally Approved PACE Program Provider for FAGD/MAGD credit. Approval does not imply acceptance by any regulatory authority or AGD endorsement. The current term of approval extends from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2026. Provider ID# 214210. Subject Code 750.