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Dentists checked anything of concern in customers’ mouths
during pharmacy-based drop-in clinics
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Mouth cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer, yet it
is the 16th most common cancer in the UK and, in Cornwall, it is the
fourth most common cause of death from cancer.
One of the key barriers to reducing the incidence of the disease is the
low awareness of the disease among the public, says Neil McDonald, assistant
clinical director for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust’s
dental service.
For instance, a recent survey showed that only 56 per cent of people
had heard of it. Treatment is no better than it was 30 years ago — patients
face a mortality rate of over 50 per cent within five years and there
are significant quality of life issues for patients after they have had
surgery.
A role for pharmacists
Mouth cancer can be successfully treated if it is spotted early, Dr
McDonald explains.
“Early diagnosis is essential,” he says. Pharmacists have an
important part to play in raising awareness of the benefits of reducing
risk factors,
such as stopping smoking, reducing alcohol consumption and improving
diets, and through opportunistic screening, he adds.
Dr McDonald has been running pharmacy training evenings to explain the
risk factors of mouth cancer to pharmacists and senior pharmacy assistants,
to help them consider preventive measures which may reduce the risk and
to review the role they can play in raising public awareness of mouth
cancer. “I gave three talks to over 100 pharmacy staff in Cornwall
before Mouth Cancer Awareness Week and these staff should now be in a
better position to offer plain advice to the public,” he says.
In addition to honing the mouth cancer advice that pharmacists and pharmacy
staff were able to give, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly PCT has also
run a pharmacy-based scheme, coinciding with Mouth Cancer Awareness Week
(which ran from 12 to 18 November) drawing attention to the risk
factors and providing check-ups for
customers.
A dentist and a dental therapist were on hand for a whole day in each
pharmacy to carry out the checks — the dentist noted anything of
concern in people’s mouths and, when necessary, arranged a referral
to a
specialist.
Last year the check up sessions were run in pharmacies in central Cornwall.
This year the scheme was run in three pharmacies spread across Cornwall — one
in the centre of the county, one in the west and one in the north, Bridget
Sampson, pharmaceutical adviser for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Primary Care Trust, says.
“We are trying to make it as convenient as possible for people to
get checked for mouth cancer,” she
explains. Success
In fact, the campaign has been much more successful this year than
it was in 2005, Dr McDonald says. “More than 60 people dropped in
at the participating pharmacies to be reassured that their mouths were
healthy,” he says. “The dentists have referred a number
of people for further examination for a number of conditions, not all
suspicious, but the overall effect has been to raise awareness of mouth
cancer,” he adds.
“Teamwork between the pharmacists and dentists has been a success
because of the relative affection in which the public hold pharmacists
above
dentists — I wonder why! It has allowed a comfortable and convenient
shop front for mouth screening and has been very user friendly. In short
this is a win-win-win for pharmacists, dentists and the public. We are
delighted,” he says. Pharmacists’ views
Jim Jiwa is a pharmacist at Alliance Pharmacy in St Austell, one of
the pharmacies taking part in the project.
“We were pretty busy in the morning,” he says. “There
was a lull first thing, but then an item went out on local radio and there
was a bit of a rush. Radio Cornwall and Pirate FM have both had interviews
with the dentists taking part in the project, and there has been a well
co-ordinated publicity campaign, with items in the local papers as well
on the radio.” By the end of the day the dentist had seen 15 people,
he adds.
“There has definitely been an increase in awareness of the issues
around mouth cancer,” he says. “As part of the screening process
the dentist asks all customers taking part quite a bit about health lifestyles,
about how much they drink and whether they smoke, and that has definitely
helped to raise awareness of the risk factors.
“Also, we have had leaflets in the pharmacy about the risk factors
and people have been taking those, so that is helping to raise awareness
as well. The leaflets also explain what signs to look out for and what
to do if there are any signs, so that an early diagnosis can be made
by the appropriate professional and treatment initiated. The screening
has resulted in two customers being
referred to appropriate professionals for further investigation.
“I would definitely like to be involved with the project next year
and I hope that it will expand as well. We certainly need to take the campaign
into pharmacies in more towns, for instance, rather than just targeting
the same areas.”
Last year the project was run by Central Cornwall PCT, but that is now
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly PCT and so it covers a much wider area
and more pharmacies, which should help with expanding the project next
year, he says.
Lynne Smith, community pharmacist at Alliance Pharmacy in Bodmin, another
of the pharmacies taking part in the scheme, commented: “People
came in steadily through the day to use the service. We had 36 people
in all, two of whom we had to refer, although both of them had suspected
before they came in that they had something that needed to be looked
at properly.”
There were also a few “worried well”, who already had things
looked at by their own dentist, but who wanted a second opinion, she
adds.
“I was particularly pleased that we had quite a few younger people
coming in, too, as I had thought that perhaps it would just be older people
who would be interested in having a check-up. And we only had six outright
refusals during the day — people who said they either were not
interested or just did not have the time.
“A number of people phoned up and then came in because they had heard
on the radio that we were running the scheme, and we also had people
who we approached when were just waiting for their prescriptions and
who said “Why not?” and were happy to have a check up.” |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal