Oral cancer is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates, largely as a result of late diagnosis. Although dental practitioners are trained to identify premalignant and malignant lesions, an organized system is needed to offer guidance and to improve access to experts in diagnosis and management of these lesions. In this article, we describe the many ways in which the British Columbia Oral Cancer Prevention Program (BC OCPP) is addressing this challenge: by linking community dental practices and referral centres, by creating partnerships between scientists and clinicians that already have resulted in new technologies to enhance early diagnosis, by involving a broad range of stakeholders to ensure population-based screening and by engaging in provincial, national and international outreach.
Notes
Cites: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Mar;1098:184-9117435127
Cites: J Can Dent Assoc. 2008 Apr;74(3):239-4118387264
Cites: J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2007 Nov;18(4):767-7817982206
Cites: J Indian Med Assoc. 1999 Sep;97(9):370-310638084
Cites: Lab Invest. 2000 Feb;80(2):233-710701692
Cites: Cancer Res. 2002 Nov 15;62(22):6447-5012438233
Cites: Mutagenesis. 2004 Jul;19(4):251-6215215323
Cites: Cancer Res. 1996 Jun 1;56(11):2488-928653682
Cites: Nat Med. 1996 Jun;2(6):682-58640560
Cites: Oral Oncol. 1998 Mar;34(2):77-839682768
Cites: Cancer Res. 2005 Sep 1;65(17):8017-2116140975
Cites: J Can Dent Assoc. 2008 Apr;74(3):283-818387269