April 07, 2017


AM: What's in your Toolbox? Making the most of your diagnostic tools in Oral Radiology, Oral Medicine, and Oral Pathology
PM: Diagnostic Detectives: Catching common culprits and spotting a mimic in Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine and Oral Radiology
Category 1 Core Course



Kristina Perschbacher




Susanne Perschbacher

Break Down

That doesn't look normal...now what?

A case-based review of what you need to know in Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology

Diagnosis is one of the most important and challenging roles of being a dentist. Yet many practitioners find themselves overwhelmed when faced with diagnosing pathology of the oral cavity and jaws. Even variations of normal may create confusion and uncertainty. This lecture will review the important steps in identifying and managing common and rarer conditions of the jaws through a case-based approach.

Participants will become more confident and better equipped to care for patients who present with the unusual

Learning Objectives:

Participants will learn:
  • to recognize some common hard and soft tissue variations of normal and radiographic artifacts!
  • to recognize features of some common abnormalities
  • to recognize features of some uncommon, but significant, abnormalities
  • the options for management of patients

What's in your toolbox? Making the most of your diagnostic tools in Oral Radiology, Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology.

From the best ways to use your eyes and your hands to examine the structures of the oral cavity to the most meaningful application of advanced modalities such as panoramic radiography, cone beam computed tomography, biopsy or other adjunctive tests, this session will highlight some of the approaches that will allow clinicians to most efficiently use some of the diagnostic aids at their disposal. Cases will be used to illustrate the essential features of many different types of oral pathology. Practitioners will learn that it is their brain that is the most valuable tool in achieving optimal diagnosis for their patients.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will learn:
  • An approach to the examination and interpretation of a soft tissue lesion
  • The appropriate selection of imaging modalities
  • An approach to radiologic interpretation of osseous pathology
  • The function of adjunctive tests in oral cancer screening
  • Guidelines for successful biopsy
  • Tips for improving communication with patients and other practitioners

About the Speaker

Dr. Kristina Perschbacher

Dr. Kristina Perschbacher is a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentistry of Canada and a member of the Canadian and American Academy of Oral Pathology. She has presented her research at the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology meeting in San Diego, California. The majority of Dr. Perschbacher's time is spent seeing patients in private Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine practice at Credit Valley Oral Surgery. She also teaches in the undergraduate oral pathology and postgraduate oral radiology programs at the University of Toronto. Dr. Perschbacher is an oral examiner for the Royal College of Dentists of Canada.

Dr. Susanne Perschbacher

Dr. Susanne Perschbacher received her DDS at the University of Western Ontario and completed her specialty training and MSc in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at the University of Toronto. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada and a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology. Susanne is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology, University of Toronto, where she teaches in the undergraduate and postgraduate programs. She also works in a private radiology practice in Toronto.