Welcome to the website of the Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer Workgroup.

In 2000, the Office of Cancer Control and Prevention (OCCP) and the Governor’s Task Force on Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment in New Jersey (Task Force) were charged to address the burden of cancer in the state. Following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Task Force submitted a five year, evidence-based Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan (Plan) for 2002-2007. The Plan represents a coordinated statewide approach to cancer control through education and outreach that addresses the continuum of care.

The original 16 members of the Task Force organized into various workgroups coordinating and networking with existing organizations within the state. Recognizing this, when the Governor approved the Plan, the Task Force was then charged with implementing its recommendations. The second Plan (2008-2012) was approved by the Governor in December 2007.

The Plan is an ongoing, living entity that adapts to changing circumstances by building research and surveillance into each chapter. New Jersey is unique in that it has two dentists on its Task Force and a separate Workgroup and chapter exclusively for oral and oropharyngeal cancer.

The Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer Workgroup was created because the Task Force recognized the special need for public awareness in this area, the unique challenges to treatment, and that early detection of oral and oropharyngeal lesions primarily involves dentists and other dental professionals rather than medical personnel.

The Workgroup consists of talented and dedicated individuals representing various organizations including the New Jersey Dental Association, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) - New Jersey Dental School, New Jersey Medical School and School of Public Health, the American Cancer Society, the New Jersey Dental Hygienists’ Association, and many others. We invite other interested individuals to join our efforts to reduce the burden of oral and oropharyngeal cancer in New Jersey.

David Lederman, DMD
Task Force Member
Director, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
Plus Diagnostics

• Inclusion of tobacco avoidance on ADA Children’s Dental Health Month poster
  
  
• Multi-County Oral Cancer Screening Project
  
  
• Networked with the American Academy of Oral Medicine to help produce the Clinician’s Guide to Oral Cancer
  
  
• Numerous presentations and training for dentists, dental auxiliaries and others
  
  
• Oral Cancer Screening Event at New Jersey State House
  
  
• Oral Cancer Walk
  
  
• Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer Awareness Month legislation passed
  
  
• Speakers bureau
  
  
• Worked with New Jersey’s dental, medical, osteopathic and nursing schools to increase content about oral cancer
  
  
• Worked with the American Cancer Society to upgrade its website concerning oral and oropharyngeal cancer

• Access to Care
  
  
• Advocacy
  
  
• Professional Awareness and Education
     - Speakers Bureau
  
  
• Public Awareness and Education
  
  
• Screening
  
  
• Surveillance
  
  
• Website

• [shtml] [pdf 590kb]

• Heighten public awareness and knowledge of oral and oropharyngeal cancer and the need for early detection in New Jersey.
  
  
• Increase access to oral and oropharyngeal cancer screening and the ability to reach all segments of the population.
  
  
• Upgrade involvement of all dentists and hygienists and those physicians in appropriate specialties in the prevention and early detection of oral and oropharyngeal cancer by increasing the current level of awareness, education, training, and motivation among oral and oropharyngeal healthcare providers.
  
  
• Identify high-risk groups in order to maximize interventional and educational impact while permitting evaluation of cost-effectiveness.
  
  
• Ensure that New Jersey residents and physicians remain up to date on the most currently available oral and oropharyngeal cancer technologies and resources.

The Oral Cancer Workgroup provides speakers on oral cancer and oral cancer detection to help increase the number of oral/oropharyngeal examinations performed by dentists. Speakers provide information and training on the screening procedure and follow-ups.

Speakers:

Hillel Ephros, DMD, MD,
St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center
Seton Hall University School of Health and Medical Sciences

Kayvon Haghighi, DDS, MD
Red Bank Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, LLC

David Lederman, DMD
Plus Diagnostics

Arnold Rosenheck, DMD
UMDNJ, New Jersey Dental School

• American Dental Association
  
  
• Improving Your Oral Cancer Awareness
  
  
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
  
  
• The Oral Cancer Foundation
  
  
• Oral Cancer Survivor / Lecturer

• Oral Cancer Foundation Forum
  
  
• Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer
  
  

  New Jersey Chapters:

  Leon Hess Cancer Center at Monmouth Medical Center
  The Goldsmith Wellness Center
  Long Branch, NJ
  
  Morristown Memorial Hospital
  Morristown, NJ
  
  Community Medical Center
  Toms River, NJ
  

• American Academy of Oral Medicine
  
  
• American Cancer Society
  
  
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  
  
• National Cancer Institute
  
  
• New Jersey Dental Association
  
  
• Oral Cancer Consortium
  
  
• The Oral Cancer Foundation
  
  
• The Wellness Community