A survey has revealed that less than half of hospital nursing staff carry out routine oral health checks. The survey, published in the online journal BMC Oral Health, looked at oral cancer awareness amongst hospital nursing staff and found that less than half of those surveyed carried out routine oral health checks.

The survey found that while over 80% of nurses thought oral health checks were important, only 49% performed this task regularly. Although approximately 70% of staff identified smoking as a risk factor for oral cancer, less than 30% identified alcohol as one.

Awareness of the clinical signs of oral cancer was low, with 21% identifying white patches, 15% identifying ulceration and only 2% identifying red patches, despite their malignant potential. It also found that nurses within three years of qualification were significantly better at recognising risk factors for oral cancer than their colleagues, identifying a need for continuing postgraduate education on oral health and oral cancer. The study highlighted the need for improved education of nurses on oral cancer in order to make the oral health check on admission viable for oral cancer screening.

Dental charity the British Dental Health Foundation says health checks upon hospital admission must become routine practice to help eradicate mouth cancer, as nurses had a unique opportunity in their role looking after oral health of their patients. Chief executive Dr Nigel Carter said that hospital admission provides the perfect opportunity for oral cancer screening. 'Just as we encourage dentists to ensure they carry out screenings and discuss the issues with patients, we hope to see health professionals across the industry take action and improve awareness.'

The full article (BMC Oral Health 2009; 9: 4) can be read online at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6831/9/4.