Dr. Rory Boyd:

I work in practice four and a half days a week. Unfortunately, we have picked up six cases of oral cancer this year, which is an outlier and above normal. The general dental exam is an oral cancer screen. If someone is lucky enough to afford a dental exam, they will also get an oral cancer screen. Again, not to hark back to the dental treatment services scheme, those in underprivileged groups and with lower socioeconomic status have a higher incidence of oral cancer, according to the research. Oral cancer is one of the top five cancers in the world and they are more likely to have it. With the decline of the DTSS programme, we are also seeing a decline in screening in that group.

With regard to screening for oral cancer specifically, evidence shows that is not cost-effective. I was involved in the inaugural cancer day in the Dublin Dental Hospital in Trinity and there was a huge screening programme to create awareness around oral cancer. However, having clinics specifically screening for oral cancer like we do with breast cancer, would not be cost-effective.