Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Dental prosthetist experience with oral mucosal screening and referral
Objectives:
This study aimed to investigate dental prosthetists' experiences with screening and referral for suspicious oral mucosal pathology.
Method And Materials:
Questionnaires regarding oral mucosal screening and referral were mailed to 300 randomly selected dental prosthetists in Australia for selfcompletion. Non-responders were sent replacement questionnaires up to three times, according to the Dillman method.
Results:
A total of 179 prosthetists returned completed questionnaires resulting in a response rate of 64.9% after excluding 24 due to incorrectly listed addresses. Most participants reported that they checked all new patients for oral mucosal pathology (99.4%) and most reported that they checked all recall patients for mucosal pathology (86%). Most participants had detected a suspicious lesion (86%) and most had referred for a suspicious lesion (77.3%).
Conclusion:
Australian dental prosthetists appear motivated to perform oral mucosal screening and will refer suspicious oral mucosal pathology when detected.
