Advances in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Jul 2022)
The appropriateness of urgent ‘2 week wait’ suspected malignancy referrals to oral and maxillofacial surgery
Abstract
Oral and maxillofacial surgery departments in the United Kingdom receive referrals from primary care providers such as dentists and general medical practitioners. A ‘2 week wait’ urgent referral is actioned when the referring clinician suspects a potential malignant lesion or suspicious presentation resulting in the patient being fast-tracked for an initial consultation appointment. However, there appears to be a notion that there may be increasing misuse of this pathway with several patients being referred with evidently benign lesions. We analyse the pattern and type of these referrals as well as the causative elements at the primary care level.
