Non-Cochrane · other · PM41240321
Patient and System Barriers to Early Diagnosis of Oral Cancer in the UK.
Drokow Emmanuel Kwateng, Drinnan Michael, Amponsem-Boateng Cecilia, et al. · Oral diseases · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1111/odi.70125
Findings
Population Patients with oral cancer referred from UK primary care (general practitioners or dentists) to specialist services
10 findings
| Referral by general practitioners (GP) | None | Proportion of GP referrals with professional delay UK primary care referral pathway | Proportion 0.35 [0.31, 0.39] GRADE not reported 6 studies · 520 participants |
| Referral by general practitioners (GP) | None | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs UK primary care referral pathway | Proportion 0.49 [0.40, 0.59] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 1676 participants |
| Referral by general practitioners (GP) | None | Proportion of GP referrals with professional delay UK primary care referral pathway | Proportion 0.36 [0.24, 0.50] GRADE not reported 6 studies · 520 participants |
| Referral by general practitioners (GP) | None | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs UK primary care referral pathway | Proportion 0.49 [0.47, 0.51] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 1676 participants |
| Referral by dentists | None | Proportion of dentist referrals with professional delay UK primary care referral pathway | Proportion 0.33 [0.29, 0.38] GRADE not reported 6 studies · 371 participants |
| Referral by dentists | None | Proportion of dentist referrals with professional delay UK primary care referral pathway | Proportion 0.29 [0.16, 0.47] GRADE not reported 6 studies · 371 participants |
| Referral by dentists | None | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists UK primary care referral pathway | Proportion 0.38 [0.36, 0.41] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 1676 participants |
| Referral by dentists | None | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists UK primary care referral pathway | Proportion 0.38 [0.31, 0.46] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 1676 participants |
| Referral by general practitioners (GP) | Referral by dentists | Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists UK primary care referral pathway | RR 1.27 [0.96, 1.68] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 1676 participants |
| Referral by general practitioners (GP) | Referral by dentists | Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists UK primary care referral pathway | RR 1.28 [1.18, 1.38] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 1676 participants |
Included primary studies 27
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmad 2018 Dental Public Health In Action: Barriers to oral healthcare provision for older people in residential and nursing care homes: A mixed… PMID:30102021 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Aminu 2019 Adult Dental Health Survey 2009: association between oral health outcomes and living arrangements of older adults in the UK. PMID:31350496 | 2019 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Boneham 2000 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Borreani 2008 Minimising barriers to dental care in older people. PMID:18366785 | 2008 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Borreani 2010 Informing the debate on oral health care for older people: a qualitative study of older people's views on oral health and oral health care. PMID:19817878 | 2010 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Crossman 2016 Role of general practice in the diagnosis of oral cancer. PMID:26682494 | 2016 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Croucher 2006 Improving access to dental care in East London's ethnic minority groups: community based, qualitative study. PMID:16800365 | 2006 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Curtis 2021 Everyday experiences of people living with dementia and their carers relating to oral health and dental care. PMID:33345612 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Daniel 2022 Professional delays in referral of patients with mouth cancer: six case histories. PMID:36526764 | 2022 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of GP referrals with professional delay; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Proportion of dentist referrals with professional delay; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Dyer 2006a General health promotion in general dental practice--the involvement of the dental team. Part 1: a review of the evidence of effectiveness… PMID:16799445 | 2006 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Dyer 2006b General health promotion in general dental practice--the involvement of the dental team Part 2: A qualitative and quantitative… PMID:16829887 | 2006 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Grant 2010 The experiences of young oral cancer patients in Scotland: symptom recognition and delays in seeking professional help. PMID:20489767 | 2010 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Hollow 2000 Delays in the referral and treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma. PMID:10758688 | 2000 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of GP referrals with professional delay; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Proportion of dentist referrals with professional delay; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Longhurst 2002 Availability of domiciliary dental care for the elderly. PMID:12483791 | 2002 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| McLeod 2005 Oral cancer: delays in referral and diagnosis persist. PMID:15951773 | 2005 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of GP referrals with professional delay; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Proportion of dentist referrals with professional delay; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Moore 2022 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Moore 2022 Integration of afferent inputs from neck muscles and macular labyrinthine receptors within the lateral reticular nucleus. PMID:202210 | 1977 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Patel 2021 Crisis in care homes: the dentists don't come. PMID:34103478 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Piggott 2015 Comparison of the diagnostic yield of medical and dental referrals an oral and maxillofacial 2 weeks rule clinic. PMID:26668453 | 2015 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of GP referrals with professional delay; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Proportion of dentist referrals with professional delay; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Rogers 2007 An assessment of deprivation as a factor in the delays in presentation, diagnosis and treatment in patients with oral and oropharyngeal… PMID:17070094 | 2007 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of GP referrals with professional delay; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Proportion of dentist referrals with professional delay; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Rogers 2011 Awareness of oral cancer in the Mersey region. PMID:20471730 | 2011 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Scott 2005 The idiosyncratic relationship between diagnostic delay and stage of oral squamous cell carcinoma. PMID:15792612 | 2005 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of GP referrals with professional delay; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Proportion of dentist referrals with professional delay; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Scott 2008 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Scott 2008 Barriers and triggers to seeking help for potentially malignant oral symptoms: implications for interventions. PMID:18662249 | 2009 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Singh 2006 The two-week wait cancer initiative on oral cancer; the predictive value of urgent referrals to an oral medicine unit. PMID:17159958 | 2006 | this review only | Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by GPs; Proportion of oral cancer referrals made by dentists; Relative risk of referral by GPs compared with dentists | not extracted yet |
| Sweeney 2007 Oral health care and status of elderly care home residents in Glasgow. PMID:17405469 | 2007 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| White 2009 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Adults diagnosed with or at risk of oral cancer in the UK, and healthcare professionals involved in diagnosis (GPs, dentists) | UK patients with oral cancer, GPs and dentists (sample sizes 20 to 1079); 25 studies |
| Intervention | Barriers and facilitators to timely oral cancer diagnosis (phenomenon of interest) | Referral by general practitioner or dentist (n=9 studies for referral proportions) |
| Comparison | Not specified | Dentist referral versus GP referral (n=9) |
| Outcomes | Factors influencing diagnostic delay: patient knowledge, provider practices, referral pathways, system issues; referral percentages, delay time, stage | Referral proportions (GP, dentist), relative risk of GP versus dentist referral, proportion of delays (n=6 each), delay time in weeks, stage at referral (single study), qualitative barrier themes |
| Study designs | Observational studies (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods) | 14 quantitative, 5 qualitative, 6 mixed-methods observational studies |
| Timing | Studies published January 2000 to December 2024 | Not specified |