How the general dental practice team can improve outcomes for oral cancer patients.

How the general dental practice team can improve outcomes for oral cancer patients core cpd Simon Rogers, Professor, Evidence-based Practice Research Centre, Edge Hill University The whole of the dental practice team has a key role in helping to improve outcomes following oral cancer. There is an agenda around: i) improved awareness of oral cancer and its risk factors ii) lifestyle advice and surveillance during routine appointment iii) rapid access to primary care for patients with a history that might be one of oral cancer iv) maintenance of oral health following treatment v) emotional support focused around fears of recurrence​ vi) early detection and referrals of second primaries. These agendas are brought into sharp focus when one considers that the primary priory for patients is cure and survival. Whilst in follow-up, the mouth and oral function is one of the main concerns identified through the 'Patient Concerns' Inventory'. The dental team and the regional head and neck cancer centre needs to work in close collaboration to help optimise the outcomes. The number of patients with oral cancer continues to increase year on year and although there will be a rise in the proportion of those with oropharyngeal cancer related to HPV, the dental team has an equally important role in this cancer as it does oral cancer. Learning objectives: •An update on the changing trends of how patients with head and neck cancer present to primary care •Gain a better understanding of which patients are most at risk •How patient feedback using the Patient Concerns Inventory informs and shapes practice