Workshop on oral cancer

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Emphasising the role of dental professionals in the early detection and treatment of oral cancer, the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) here is organising a state-level workshop on prevention and control of oral cancer.Health Minister V S Sivakumar will inaugurate the workshop at RCC on Sunday to be presided over by RCC director Paul Sebastian.The day-long workshop, aimed at dental practitioners practising in government and private sector, would explore and discuss the challenges and opportunities for dental practitioners and surgeons in early detection, treatment options and rehabilitation of oral cancer patients.“Dental professionals, who frequently interact with persons having oral diseases, can identify oral cancer at an early stage with opportunistic screening in their routine clinical practice.“Appropriate and timely referral to treatment centres would certainly contribute to effective control of oral cancer and rehabilitation. It, therefore, becomes important that dental practitioners are aware of the various options available for management of oral pre-cancerous/invasive lesions - this workshop is a step in this direction,” said Sebastian.Figures of the recent population-based Cancer Registry report of RCC shows that oral cancers account for 13.4 per cent of all cancers in Kerala - an alarming number considering the fact that Kerala has high levels of literacy, better general awareness and easy access to health care centres.The workshop would give special focus to tobacco control, considering that Kerala has one of the highest incidences of tobacco- related cancers, particularly oral cancer in India. “Since many of the oral diseases are associated with tobacco habits, the opportunity to examine high risk groups for screening oral cancer exists,” said Sebastian.Babu Mathew, retd.professor, Community Oncology Division, RCC; Gigi Thomas, Additional Professor, Community Oncology Division, RCC; K Ramadas, Medical Superintendent, RCC; Vivek V, professor and head, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, PMS Dental College, Vattapara; Anita Balan, professor and head, Oral Medicine and Radiology Department, Government Dental College, Kozhikode and R Jayakrishnan, asst.professor, Community Oncology Division, RCC, would handle the scientific sessions.The workshop is being organised with the support of National Rural Health Mission, Kerala and Indian Dental Association, Kerala.