Presented by: Susan Woodley, RDH

What Lies Beneath: Discovering the 'Path' in Common Abnormal Oral Lesions

CE Hours: 3

Online Dates:

Part 1: Monday, November 23rd, 2026 - 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EST

Part 2: Monday, November 30th, 2026 - 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EST

Can’t attend live? No problem! All sessions are recorded and automatically uploaded to your rdhu Members Portal within 2–3 days — no need to request access. You'll receive immediate access to the portal, post-test quiz, and certificate right after the course. Recordings remain available for 30 days.

Course Description:

Your role as a Dental Hygienist is vital in the early discovery of any abnormal oral lesion.

By increasing your confidence in your ability to recognize the most common lesions observed in practice, you will expand your knowledge and capacity to practice competently.

“Dental hygienists play an important role in early detection of oral cancer, leading to timely medical/dental referral and potential biopsy, endoscopy, and imaging. Patient/client survival is much better when the cancerous lesion is diagnosed at an early stage. 25% of oral cancers occur in non-smokers who have no other known significant risk factors.”

~ CDHO Factsheet, Oral Cancer

Learning Objectives:

This course is designed to elevate your confidence and your ability to recognize the most common oral lesions observed in practice today. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

Obtain a better understanding of a dental hygienist’s role in early discovery of abnormal oral lesions and the effect we can have on a clients’ survival.
Recognize the effect of lifestyle behaviours and cultural differences contributing to abnormal clinical findings.
Understand how to perform a comprehensive extraoral/intraoral oral cancer screening and identify high risk anatomical areas for examination.
Recognize and identify common white and red oral lesions, document findings utilizing descriptive terminology and understand the etiology and treatment of the oral lesions discussed.
Recognize and identify common ulcerated, blistering/sloughing, pigmented, papillary oral lesions and soft tissue enlargement, document findings utilizing descriptive terminology and understand the etiology and treatment of the oral lesions discussed.
Identify dental protocols used to manage oral symptoms related to oral cancer treatments.
Understand the pathway of decision making related to referral and management of abnormal findings.

What Your Colleagues Are Saying About This Course:

This course was great! The content was very practical and I will be able to implement it immediately into my practice. ~ Natalie
It was an interesting and informative course. I especially appreciated the pictures and images. ~ Anonymous