Join Associate Professor Mark Schifter at the final event of our 2024 Tasmania series and hear three comprehensive lectures across one full day.

OROFACIAL PAIN (aka - No Diagnosis = No (irreversible) Treatment

Diagnosing and managing pain arising from the dental and associated oro-facial region can be complex, confusing, and challenging. What may seem to be simple toothache, can also be neuropathic pain, temporomandibular joint disorder, trigeminal neuralgia, or a functional pain, that is pain without a clear organic basis.

Practitioners need to give pause, because without a clear diagnosis, one should not embark on irreversible treatment. Managing pain is challenging, as we need to weigh up the effectiveness of opioid-based medications, against the concerns regarding the risk of addiction.

This course is designed to refresh your understanding of pain, its causes, the difficulties in the diagnosis and management of pain, an emphasis on complex chronic orofacial pain, including temporomandibular disorders, as well as review the range of analgesic agents available and their safe and effective use.

DENTAL CARE OF THE PATIENT WITH CANCER

The patient with cancer brings a complex web of challenges for the general practitioner to navigate.

Established therapies, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are continuously evolving, and cause significant morbidity and adverse dental/oral complications and manifestations. Newer therapies, such as the biologic agents, the small molecules agents (TKIs) and the immune-modifying agents are also resulting in unexpected dental/oral complications and adverse effects.

Discover how you can better navigate these complex issues and improve your diagnoses in this comprehensive lecture.

ORAL CANCER

Lip and oral cancer are considered to be “the Dentist’s Cancer”, in that the Dentist and Oral Health Providers are best placed and trained for screening and detecting lip and oral cancer. This session will review the biology of lip and oral cancer, and the treatment of these cancers and review potentially-malignant disorders, that is pre-curser lesions (and conditions) that can transform to cancer, and their diagnosis and management.

Additionally, the role of the Dentist/OHT in the care of the patient with lip and oral cancer in the pre-treatment, perioperative and post-treatment phases will be addressed, including late complications of radiotherapy, namely osteoradionecrosis.

** Please note, the ADA Tasmania Branch AGM will be held during the lunch break and the annual dinner will immediately follow the course. A ticket for the dinner is included with your registration.

Learning Objectives

• Learn how to effectively diagnose and manage complex cases, including patients with cancer
• Learn how to assess and manage oro-facial pain