BDA publishes oral cancer management strategy

09 December 2010

A new practical guide to help dental professionals combat the growing problem of oral cancer has been published by the The British Dental Association (BDA).

Early detection and prevention of oral cancer: a management strategy for dental practice offers practical advice on preventing, detecting and managing oral cancer. It addresses both the clinical aspects of the condition and the management of relationships with patients. It covers the risk factors for the disease and provides guidance on talking to patients about examinations with offers tips on medical history taking and record keeping. It also explores taboos around the practitioner’s right to explore patients’ lifestyle choices that can cause oral cancer, such as drinking, smoking and chewing tobacco, and offers advice on how to overcome them.

Early detection is critical in oral cancer with patient survival significantly enhanced by prompt diagnosis. The proportion of patients with oral cancer who die is higher than for cervical, breast or prostate cancers. The guide warns that some patients are beginning to take legal action against dentists alleging failure to detect the condition.

Professor Damien Walmsley, the BDA’s Scientific Adviser, said: "The magnitude of the problem of oral cancer in the UK is growing. While the treatment of many cancers is leading to an improvement in survival rates, the same cannot be said for oral cancer. Early detection is absolutely vital to addressing this situation.

"General dental practitioners and their teams are ideally placed to lead the fight back, but they face many practical difficulties including patient resistance to practitioners’ advice on lifestyle factors. This publication provides in-depth guidance on overcoming those problems and involving the whole dental team in the effective prevention, detection and treatment of the disease."

BDA members can access the guide free of charge at: www.bda.org/cancerdetection