Provision of head/neck and intraoral cancer screenings can be overlooked if the dentist and dental hygienist who practice together have not communicated concerning which of them will perform this essential service.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether the dentist and dental hygienist in the same practice knew which of them was responsible for performing the head/neck and intraoral cancer screenings.

Methods: A brief survey was completed by a convenience sample of dental hygienists attending a continuing education course. These dental hygienists took an additional survey to their employer to be mailed back upon completion. To assure anonymity, there were no name identifiers; however surveys were identified with a number in order to match the responses of the dentist and dental hygienist from the same practice.

Results: There were 71 usable matched replies. Descriptive statistics revealed that 53% of the dentists and dental hygienists disagreed about which provider was performing the head/neck palpation examination for new patients. For maintenance patients, 51.5% disagreed. For the intraoral cancer examination, 48.4% did not concur about which of them was providing this screening for new patients and 42.6% did not concur for returning patients.

Conclusion: About half of the time, the dentist and dental hygienist in the same practice are under the incorrect assumption that head and neck and intraoral cancer screenings are being provided by the other provider. Consequently, provision of this service may be overlooked. Improved communication and role delineation are suggested.

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