639. Access, competition and quality in the National Oral Health Promotion

https://www.ers.pt/uploads/writer_file/document/1019/Estudo_ERS_-_PNPSO.pdf

638. ORAL CANCER SCREENING: Claim your rights

Each user of the National Health Service (SNS in Portuguese) shall, from now entitled to two checks dentist annually for diagnosis of oral cancer and the other two for biopsy. According to a rule of the Directorate General of Health, this extension of the National Program of Oral Health Promotion aims to increase the survival of oral cancer after diagnosis of the disease.

It is set to target population persons belonging to risk groups (male smokers, with more than 40 years and alcohol consumption) and patients with lesions in the oral cavity and with complaints of pain, color changes or the surface of the oral mucosa. The value of each check-diagnosis is 15 euros and each check-biopsy 50 euros, each user can receive annually two checks of each.

The Order of Dentists have estimated that are now held annually about five thousand biopsies to oral cancer. The intervention will always get the family doctor or by screening the high risk of users or clinical diagnosis of potentially malignant lesions in the mouth.

The existence of a suspicious lesion should always be subject to differential diagnosis, being sent by the computer system of health centers a check-diagnosis which can be used in a medical dentist adhering to the program. In the case of the dentist or Stomatological consider necessary to perform a biopsy should perform the collection of the product and sent to a reference laboratory using then a check-biopsy.

When a tumor is detected, the laboratory reports, by a computerized system, the Portuguese Institute of Oncology of the respective area, which should make an appointment urgently. The program involved 240 dentists, a network that aims to geographically cover the whole country.

Jornal Médico