ATTENDANCE AND COMPLIANCE AT AN ORAL-CANCER SCREENING-PROGRAM IN A GENERAL MEDICAL-PRACTICE

The purpose of this study was to measure the attendance and compliance rates in a demonstration invitational screening programme for oral ca ncer. 4348 subjects aged 40 years or over registered at an inner city medical practice in north London were invited for screening by post. T he socioeconomic profile of the group was determined by analysis of re sidential areas. Screening was conducted by one of several dentists an d a referral pathway was established for patients requiring follow-up. Attendance rates for screening and referral for follow-up were measur ed. The response rate was 985/3826 (25.7%) after removing 522 subjects whose invitations could not be delivered or who refused appointments. No reply was obtained for 2841 patients. Attendance for referral of l esions considered to have malignant potential was 67% (8/12), compared to 92% (11/12) for patients requiring referral for incidental benign lesions. The low compliance suggests that oral cancer screening may no t be able to achieve the desired benefits of reducing morbidity and mo rtality, and establishment of such a programme may not, therefore, be cost-effective. Further research is required into how to identify peop le in high risk groups and motivate them to present themselves for scr eening.