International Journal of Medical Discoveries

Background: Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are known precursors of oral cancer, and early detection is critical to enhancing patient prognosis. Oral lesions that are suspicious are often the initial stage of contact of a patient with a dental practitioner, but missed diagnostic opportunities in primary dental practice could also play a role in late disease detection and worsening.
Purpose: The purpose of the systematic review was to synthesize multi-regional evidence on missed opportunities in the early detection of oral potentially malignant disorders in the primary dental care setting.
Methods: A systematic literature review was carried out in line with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Peer-reviewed studies published within 2017-2025 were searched in electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The studies that were eligible were observational, cohort, and cross-sectional studies that investigated diagnostic practice, screening behavior, referral pathway, and malignant transformation of OPMDs.
Findings: 19 studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were obtained. The results suggest that clinician-related factors, patient behavior, and barriers to healthcare systems are often related to the causes of diagnostic delays. Routine dental screening was found to be one of the most important tools to screen for early mucosal abnormalities.
Conclusion: Clinical awareness, screening practices, and referral pathways can be strengthened to enhance early detection of OPMDs and help decrease the oral cancer burden.