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Seven Tips To Help You Discuss Oral Pharyngeal Cancer With Your Patients

Seven Tips To Help You Discuss Oral Pharyngeal Cancer With Your Patients
by Susan Maples, DDS, MSBA

Most dental patients believe that coming to our office is all about the health of their teeth and gums. So naturally, they are sometimes surprised when we start talking about systemic health. As a dental professional, you are likely familiar with some of the many connections between oral health and systemic health, and hopefully you are already passing this important information along to your patients.

One awkward topic of conversation, however, that all dental professionals must discuss with every patient is the risk of oral cancer from HPV. The human papillomavirus is the single most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It’s transmitted primarily through oral sex, and that can be a difficult topic to bring up with your patients.

HPV-related oral pharyngeal cancer (OPC) is now considered an epidemic, causing three-quarters of all oral cancers. HPV is usually linked with cervical cancer in women, though it probably causes more oropharynx cancer, according to the CDC. Most of our public awareness has come from Gardasil advertisements. But since the Food and Drug Administration has been delayed in assigning its indication for OPC, this message is absent from those ads.

To help our clinical team grow in our ability to talk about HPV-OPC risks, we developed an HPV awareness campaign designed to inform 100% of our adult patients with hopes they would bring the message appropriately to their children as well. These seven tips are the best methods we can share to overcome the awkwardness, discuss early HPV detection, and promote HPV vaccination among your patients.

Read full article on Dentistry Today.