There has long been much debate around the concept and management of oral mucosal lesions and conditions that have the potential to turn into malignant lesions over time. To address this and to try to establish a route to disseminate knowledge to European healthcare professionals on this topic of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD), a pan-European consortium of experts have developed the “OPMDcare” Healthcare Professional Training (OPMDcare.com) website.
This web-based project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union aims to provide updated guidance to clinicians who encounter patients with pre-malignant disorders involving the oral cavity (OPMDs), to allow them to recognize, investigate, diagnose and manage these conditions most efficiently and effectively.
The project was constructed in an innovative way by using multiple e-learning tools and bringing case experience from different oral medicine units through the respective universities of the partners involved (opmdcare.com/downloadable-resources/).
King´s College London (United Kingdom), Bordeaux University (France), Santiago de Compostela University (Spain), Milan University (Italy), Zagreb University (Croatia) and Cespu University (Portugal)]. The website also includes an invaluable and current textbook (opmdcare.com/resources/oral-potentially-malignant-disorders-healthcare-professional-training-book-2022/) covering the subject area, and like all the materials on the website, is free to access and free to download. The website and contents are currently being translated into five additional languages to support worldwide accessibility to the resource. The entire OPMDcare group hope and trust this will be of value and use to all colleagues worldwide.
Oral Health welcomes this original article.
About the Author
Richard Cook, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London.
Rui Albuquerque, Consultant in Oral Medicine, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust; Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Dentistry Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London.