Importance of Recognizing Signs and Discussing Concerning Symptoms with Patients

In this episode, Dr. Schmidt talks with Susan Cotten, a dentistry oral cancer coach and founder and CEO of Oral Cancer Consulting. She developed The Cotten Method, an oral cancer screening metod and dental oral cancer office system. She describes how she found her mission to advocate for great utilization of oral cancer screening methods in dental offices as a way of saving lives. Early detection is key and she describes in detail the techique for screening and incorporating this process into a dental team's workflow. In her career, Cotten has performed over 60 thousand oral cancer screenings. She is the Dental Lead for the Alliance for HPV Free Colorado, an instructor for National Network for Healthcare Hygienists, an RDH Advisory Board member at The Oral Cancer Foundation, and director with Dental Codeology Consortium. Cotten is a 2018 recipient of the Sunstar RDH Award of Distinction, recipient of the Colorado Dental Hygienists’ Association Ethyl Covington Award and Outstanding Contribution Award. Susan founded MAD (Make A Difference) for Healthy Smiles as a 2010-2011 member of Donny Osmond’s Make a Difference program and received Volunteer of the Year from the Oral Cancer Foundation in 2011. Listen now.