2023 AAOM Schedule | Day 3 | Friday, May 5

Plenary II: Digital Meets Molecular in the Infinite Multiverse

Faculty: Camile Farah, BDSc MDSc, PhD GCEd (HE), GCExLead, FRACDS, Catherine Poh, DDS, PhD, FRCD (C) 
Moderator: Dr. Arwa Farag and Dr. Chelsia Sim

This interactive plenary lecture delivered by Professors Camile Farah and Catherine Poh will explore the convergence of cell, light, and molecule in the provision of precision healthcare in oral medicine to improve patient outcomes while minimizing pain and suffering. The presentation will explore alternative pathways to care in the diagnosis and management of oral mucosal conditions based on optical diagnostics, molecular genomics, and digital pathology. 

Learning objectives: 

1. Summarize current and emerging digital pathology platforms. 
2. Explain clinically relevant molecular genomic approaches in diagnosis. 
3. Recognize the power of an integrated optical-molecular continuum of care in oral medicine. 

Samuel Charles Miller Lecture: Challenges in the Management of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders 

Faculty: Saman Warnakulasuriya,BDS, FDSRCS (Eng), FDSRCS (Edin), FDSRCPS. (Glasg), PhD(Glasg), DSc, FKC
Moderator: Dr. Ross Kerr

Forty-five years ago, the WHO set out to describe what were then called “lesions and conditions” of the oral mucosa that carried an increased risk of developing oral cancer. In 2005, we changed the nomenclature to designate them as “potentially malignant disorders” based on the understanding that some may not have a significant inherent disposition for malignant transformation. The presence and severity of oral epithelial dysplasia in a biopsy is considered the gold standard for assessing the risk for malignancy development, but sampling errors and the subjectivity of reporting may limit accurate prediction. The application of adjunctive chair-side tests, to identify a high-risk lesion, is still in the development stage. Novel approaches such as the compilation of risk models by combining the dysplasia grade with ploidy status supplemented by biomarker data on tissue-based molecular features may optimize risk prediction. Long-term regular follow-up and periodic surveillance by oral visual examination to detect an early carcinoma remains the cornerstone of management and an effective way for downsizing the disease burden and possibly reducing the incidence of invasive cancer. Surgical interventions for early cancers detected through surveillance of potentially malignant disorders could contribute to reducing the related mortality. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the natural history of oral cancer.
2. Recognize the pivotality of investigating and diagnosing a white or red patch in the oral cavity. 
3. Gain knowledge on risk assessment methods for oral potentially malignant disorders. 

OTOD Session: Resident Case Reports

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) in a Patient with CDKN2A Germline Mutation
Presenter: Sara N. Aldosary

Angina Bullosa Haemorrhagica of Buccal Mucosa; Case Report and Review of the Literature
Presenter: Mouna Abdulshaheed Alsunni

Plasmacytoma: A Rare Oral Complication of Multiple Myeloma
Presenter: Rachel Calloway

Unusual Gingivial Presentation FollowingTreatment with Pembrolizumab: A Case Report
Presenter: Annu Singh

Oral Leukoplakia on the Tongue Dorsum: An Uncommon Site of Occurrence of Oral Dysplasia
Presenter: Marie Celeste Maher

Oral Abstracts II

OM Practice Session II: Improving Outcomes through Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration 

Moderators: Dr. Piam Vacharotayangul and Dr. Chelsia Sim

Photobiomodulation: Collaborations for Innovations

Faculty: James Carroll, FRSM

Strategic partnerships between healthcare and technology have facilitated the invention of innumerable utilitarian medical devices, with photobiomodulation being one of the best examples. This talk highlights how harnessing expertise across multi-disciplinary sectors may translate into successful means of therapies to optimize patients’ health and quality of life.

Learning objectives:

1. Elaborate on the collaborative efforts resulting on the invention of therapeutic photobiomodulation.
2. Display the current scientific evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of photobiomodulation in managing conditions encountered at the oral medicine clinics.
3. Highlight the future venues to expand on the utility of this promising technology.

Controlled Substances Misuse: Risk Stratification, Mitigation, and Monitoring 

Faculty: Ronald Kulich, PhD

Dentists are among the highest controlled substances prescribers in the United States. Controlled substances are commonly prescribed to manage pain after dental surgeries/procedures, often in quantities that raise the potential for substance misuse. Additional complexities arise in the context of chronic orofacial pain when controlled substances are considered as part of a long-term management plan. This lecture will review multidisciplinary resources used in to assess the risk of controlled substance misuse.

Learning objectives:

1. Highlight multidisciplinary efforts that led to the development of controlled substance misuse risk assessment tools and monitoring databases.
2. Discuss the need for evidence-based guidelines in pain management to avoid further regulatory action that may restrict prescribing privileges of dental professionals.
3. Illustrate the importance of health insurance coverage for interdisciplinary pain management programs in chronic pain and their impact on controlled substance prescription rates.  

Sjögren’s Next Generation Studies: A Journey of Collaboration

Faculty: Caroline Shiboski, DDS, MPH, PhD

Sjögren’s International Collaborative Alliance (SICCA), which was started in 2003 by Drs Troy Daniels and John Greenspan and colleagues, yielded the largest Sjögren’s biorepository and data registry in the world. It also paved the way towards the development and validation of the current definitive classification criteria for Sjögren’s syndrome, a multidisciplinary international collaborative effort led by Drs. Caroline and Stephen Shiboski. As part of a new NIDCR-funded grant, stored SICCA biospecimens are now being analyzed by a team of UCSF scientists using new generation studies through transcriptomic approaches to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Walk through the multidisciplinary collaborative journey that led to the development and validation of the current classification criteria of Sjögren’s syndrome 

2. Discuss various  requirements for establishing and continuing such collaborative efforts within the Sjögren’s International Collaborative Clinical Alliance (SICCA)

3. Present highlights of the 20-year journey from classification criteria to precision medicine using SICCA’s unique biorepository and data registry

4. Emphasize the impact of these collaborations on clinical care, and patients’ quality of life