The BAPD urges the government to change its guidance in a bid to help to screen for oral cancer

The British Association of Private Dentistry is advising the government to change its guidance in a bid to help practices successfully screen for oral cancer.

The organisation conducted a straw poll of its members last week, to determine whether dental specialists, throughout the UK, were encountering problems referring patients who were suspected of having cancer in the mouth. The results portrayed that six-hundred and seventy-six out of seven-hundred and fifty-five participants highlighted referral problems from primary to secondary care.

The straw poll comes as research suggests that more than twenty-four thousand cases of cancer have been undiagnosed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jason Smithson, Co-founder of the association, stated: “The comments would suggest a multifactorial problem; however, there would seem to be some common themes. Clearly, this is a serious problem for the profession. Therefore, we have compiled a survey that we hope to present to PHE and NHSE and may impact fallow and PPE.”