"Oral cancer has a high 5-year survival rate when diagnosed at its earliest stages. In the United States, however, the survival rate drops from 86.3% for stages I and II to 69.0% and 40.4% for stages III and IV, respectively. Nevertheless, only 27.8% of cases are diagnosed at an
early stage. This capstone reviews major oral cancer screening protocols, recommendations from national and international bodies, and previous interventional modalities. The literature review also critically reflects on biosocial analyses and the role of agenda-setting, which have a strong bearing on promoting oral cancer screening. To address the many impediments to oral cancer screening, we propose a novel intervention to increase the screening rate and address the limitations of previous interventions.
The novel approach proposed to train dentists and primary health care providers to perform oral cancer exams uses a virtual museum featuring various paintings. Teaching and encouraging practitioners to perform the 5-minute head and neck exam is transferred from the traditional classroom-lecture setting and research articles to the museum. The visual arts and their epistemic function in medicine have been shown to improve diagnostic skills, civic engagement, personal growth, and outlook."