Jocelyn Harding is an award-winning dental hygienist and the president elect of the Mouth Cancer Foundation. She is passionate about helping colleagues more confidently detect and manage mouth cancer cases, enabling more patients to survive the terrible disease.
Jocelyn said, “Healthcare has moved at an astounding pace in recent times, with many areas of care becoming extremely specialised. The oral cavity can often be regarded as a separate entity to the rest of the body, so any opportunity to support healthcare professionals in dental health should be encouraged. With the current cost of living crisis and poor access to dental professionals alongside fear and financial considerations of treatment, collaborating with healthcare colleagues such as GPs, pharmacists and those working in other primary care service increases the chance of an early referral and diagnosis for mouth cancer.”
In addition to promoting more integrated health and dental care, other challenges remain for dental professionals when it comes to mouth cancer detection and management. Jocelyn added, “One of the greatest challenges for dental professionals is creating time during the appointment – ideally when confirming a patient's medical history, smoking status and alcohol consumption – to also discuss the risks of head and neck cancer. In this discussion, HPV should be mentioned, and this should be used as an opportunity to educate patients on the success of vaccinations.
“It’s important that all dental professionals feel comfortable with these conversations alongside undertaking intra-oral and extra-oral examinations. The examinations are far more valuable when this is combined with essential discussions and the exchange of relevant information. Many abnormalities are found at stage III or IV, so monthly self-examinations should be encouraged in patients, too.”
Aside from playing a crucial role in early mouth cancer diagnosis, dental professionals also have a role to play in managing patients’ oral health during and after cancer treatment. Jocelyn said, “Patients’ mouths will often become tender, swollen, dry, burnt and extremely sore during treatment and for up to two weeks after completing radiotherapy. Managing their oral health can be very problematic and, at certain times, not a priority. However, oral care during cancer treatment should be encouraged where possible.
“Oral health post-treatment is vitally important as the long-term effects, also known as late effects, of which there are up to 60, can be detrimental to a patient’s overall health. It is also important to remember that the patient bears the long-term financial implications of treatment, which can be prohibitive to any more extensive dental procedures.”
Jocelyn will be joining other members of the Mouth Cancer Foundation team at BDIA Dental Showcase in March 2025 among the exhibition. This will be the ideal platform from which to raise awareness of the challenges and potential solutions in the field. She said, “The Mouth Cancer Foundation is committed to raising awareness of risk factors, signs and symptoms of mouth, throat, and head and neck cancer, alongside support for affected patients. The latter has become easier for many and their caregivers in recent years with increased access to online video meetings, a private Facebook group, a helpline and a website dedicated to the cause. It has become very apparent that these have been much-needed resources for those both in the UK and internationally. Many patients report a lack of support after cancer treatment has concluded, so the charity would like to connect with dental professionals, hospital teams, dieticians, and speech and language therapists to create a ‘go-to’ link for patient support.”
Offering further opportunities for dental professionals to advance their knowledge and confidence in supporting patients affected by mouth cancer, Jocelyn will be presenting in the Oral Health Theatre on 14 March, 2025, at 2pm.
“I hope to help attendees better understand the challenges of mouth care for head and neck cancer patients before, during and after treatment. I would like colleagues to feel more supported with practical suggestions for managing long-term oral effects, while also discussing the importance of self-examination. It’s important that we all have a good understanding of a head and neck cancer patient's journey if we are to help them. This starts by undertaking comprehensive intra-oral and extra-oral examinations and having the right discussions with patients. I will cover this and more, ensuring dental professionals feel more confident speaking to their patients.
“BDIA Dental Showcase provides a perfect opportunity to network, listen to interesting presentations and connect with sponsors – what is there not to like? It’s also ideal for keeping up with recommended CPD topics for all dental professionals. Oral cancer: early detection is a GDC recommended CPD topic. With head and neck cancer statistics increasing, all team members should keep up to date and feel better supported in this area of care.”
For more information visit https://forms.reg.buzz/BDIA-Dental-Showcase