BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada--LED Dental Inc., a Vancouver-based medical device company, recently hosted a successful international oral cancer symposium at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, MA.
The session, titled "The Inside Summit on Oral Cancer Discovery & Management: The Technologies and the Role of the Dental Clinician 2006," was moderated by Gerard Kugel, DMD, MS, PhD, Professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.
The audience of dental clinicians was provided with the latest information on direct tissue fluorescence visualization technology and the benefits of incorporating it into a daily routine examination.
During the symposium, an international group of experts from the fields of dentistry, medicine, technology and academia spoke to an equally diverse audience sharing the common interest of promoting oral cancer awareness and ensuring better patient outcomes. The presenters included the following thought leaders:
*Saman Warnakulasuriya, PhD, Professor of Oral Medicine & Experimental Oral Pathology, Director of the World Health Organization Collaboration Center
*Calum MacAulay, PhD, Head of Cancer Imaging, British Columbia Cancer Agency
*Pierre Lane, PhD, Scientist, Cancer Imaging Department of the British Columbia Cancer Research Center
*Samson Ng, DDS, MSc, University of British Columbia and BCCA
*JoAnn Gurenlian, RDH, PhD
*Scott Benjamin, DDS, Private Practice in Sidney, NY; Visiting Professor, University at Buffalo
*Michael Kahn, DDS, Dept. of Oral Pathology, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
According to Wayne Rees, President of LED Dental Inc., "The symposium and roundtable were both very informative. Our goal was to define and establish a greater dialogue among oral healthcare providers as it relates to direct tissue fluorescence visualization technology and its application for oral mucosal screening and the early discovery of potentially cancerous lesions."
The following topics were discussed at the symposium:
*Brief review of current statistics concerning oral cancer
*Review of direct tissue fluorescence visualization technology and its use in oral mucosal screening
*Effective communication among all oral healthcare providers
*Establishment of protocols for developing a working process to enable dental practitioners to become more effective oral cancer case managers
*Providing clinicians a better understanding of direct tissue fluorescence visualization technology and its application for oral mucosal screening
"Oral cancer is a serious public health problem," commented Dr. Scott Benjamin, Clinical Director for LED Dental Inc. "It affects nearly 31,000 people each year across the U.S. demographic, and the use of VELscope has been shown to be an effective adjunctive tool for the early detection of potentially cancerous areas in the oral cavity."
"The outcome we're hoping for is to increase the number of practices actively screening for oral cancer and then treating it comprehensively," said Dr. Kugel.
To help accomplish this, LED Dental Inc. is currently planning on publishing the entire proceedings of the symposium and roundtable later in the year.
