The Dental Defence Union (DDU), specialist dental division of the Medical Defence Union, has issued advice for dentists to help them avoid delay in obtaining specialist treatment for patients who may show the early signs of mouth cancer. The advice is timed to coincide with this year's Mouth Cancer Awareness Week, which takes place 13-19 November 2005.

The risk management advice includes; if there is no obvious problem but the patient continues to complain of soreness, be prepared to discuss with colleagues and investigate further and if you suspect an abnormality, you should make an immediate referral to an appropriate specialist for further investigation, which will usually involve a biopsy. Retain a dated copy of your referral letter.

The organisation advises ensuring that any referral has been accepted and that the patient is sent a consultation appointment. In addition, the patient should be informed of how long they can expect to wait before receiving an appointment and be advised to call should there be any delays.

Mark Phillips, dento-legal adviser at the DDU commented: “Many dentists already carry out soft tissue checks for the early signs of oral cancer as part of a routine examination and most cases of oral cancer can be picked up this way. It is important that dentists are aware of the need to check for indications of mouth cancer and if they find anything suspicious, make an immediate referral of the patient for specialist care.”