ArticleBritish dental journal2019
Introduction of a referral pathway guide for general dental practitioners in Cheshire & Merseyside: the effect on two-week suspected cancer referrals.
Article in British dental journal, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Primary Care Referral Delays in Oral Cancer Diagnosis: A Meta-Analysis.Oral diseases · 2025Pooled it
- Retrospective data analysis of referral letters for orofacial vascular anomalies to a tertiary center.Archives of craniofacial surgery · 2024Article
- Nomenclature of the symptoms of head and neck cancer: a systematic scoping review.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Article
- Patient worry and concern associated with referral on the two-week suspected head and neck pathway.British dental journal · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction In 2017, Cheshire and Merseyside Local Dental Network introduced an Oral Cancer Care Guide for dental teams, emphasising the importance of early detection, appropriate referral, and effective patient communication. This study looks at the effect on two-week-wait (TWW) referrals to one unit, following the introduction of the guide and regional educational intervention.Methods Somerset Cancer Register, provided data from two three-month cohorts of TWW suspected head and neck cancer referrals, before and after introduction of the guide.Results There were 390 and 481 referrals respectively during the two three-month time-periods. The number of general dental practitioner (GDP) referrals rose from 24 to 59 (6.2% to 12.3%, P = 0.002) following introduction of the guide. The cancer conversion rate remained the same for general practitioner (GP) referrals (6.3% and 6.2%) but was lower for GDP referrals (21% vs 12%, P = 0.31).Conclusions We observed an increase in referrals following the introduction of the guide; however, the conversion rate for GDP referrals reduced. Education and ease of referral are essential for reducing the number of advanced cancers presenting to secondary care, but more research is required to inform an improvement in specificity. Future work is required looking at the long-term impact of the guide including adaption for local GP usage.
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