Response of community pharmacists to potential oral carcinoma

This survey was performed to determine whether community pharmacists respond appropriately when they encounter an oral lesion of extended duration--which is a sign of potential oral carcinoma. An interviewer visited 101 community pharmacies in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Rochester, and St. Cloud, Minn. The interviewer told the pharmacist: "My grandmother has had an ulcer on the floor of her month for two or three months." Two-thirds of the pharmacists recommended purchasing a product available in the pharmacy; only one-third recommended an appointment with a physician or dentist. This finding appears to indicate a substantial deficit in pharmacists' clinical knowledge of oral conditions. To correct this problem, pharmacists' education should address oral conditions and place increased emphasis on clinical presentation.