Jo-Anne Jones is tackling the awkward topic of Sex and Oral Health in response to a new study released by the National Cancer Institute. The study cites rising statistics for oropharyngeal cancer and relates the increase to HPV occurrence in the oral cavity. With rates rising 225% between 1998 and 2004, oral cancer is set to become the nation’s leading HPV-related cancer within the decade if the trend continues, which will position HPV related oral cancer ahead of cervical cancer also related to HPV.
The need to build a sense of urgency and elevate the discussion on the link between oral cancer and sexual health has never been more important. Where alcohol and tobacco were once the number one cause of oral cancer, the very nature of HPV as a sexually transmitted virus is superseding them.
Early detection is considered to be a defining factor in oral cancer survival rates and adhering to close examination of the oral cavity as a routine practice for dental health practitioners is where this conversation is headed. Discovering mucosal abnormalities earlier rather than later is often the difference between patient survival and mortality.
The dental health practitioner is intrinsic to the support and critical response to oral cancer screening and awareness. Get in on this conversation during the Yankee Dental Congress and join Jo-Anne Jones, DPR Top 25 Women in Dentistry and returning 2014 Dentistry Today CE Leader for an educational experience that will change the way you screen for oral cancer forever! Don’t miss Sex and Oral Health: What’s the Connection – 527RL, January 31, 2014. Click Here for more details.
Jo-Anne Jones, RDH is an international speaker, consultant, author and President of RDH Connection Inc., a practice management and clinical training company. Her frank and open style of lecturing complemented by the provision of clinical resources stands her in good stead for tackling these difficult topics.
