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Wang K, Song B, Gilde J et al. Perm J 2018; 22: 17–152; 10.7812/TPP/17-152

This study examined the delays in referral, diagnosis and treatment within an integrated healthcare system in California, USA for patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). The records of 247 patients were examined retrospectively to determine the time between the patient recognising symptoms and the attendance at a primary care practitioner (the patient interval) and the time between that initial visit and the date of pathological diagnosis (the professional interval). The diagnostic interval was a sum of the patient and professional intervals. The total interval was defined as the time between first symptoms and time of treatment.

Only 35% of patients were referred by dentists for specialist care. The patient interval had a median of 8.6 weeks (range 0–520 weeks). The median professional interval was one week and the time to specialist diagnosis was zero weeks. The median time from diagnosis to treatment was 3.9 weeks.

The authors stress the important role of dental care professionals in the early diagnosis of OCSCC. Encouraging preventive visits to the dentist, particularly by high risk individuals, may help in early detection of OCSCC and reduce diagnostic delay.