Screening in the dental setting

There are a number of government-funded initiatives aimed at raising the public’s awareness of their health. Recent campaigns include advice to seek professional help if you have blood in your urine or stool, regular inspection for lumps in preventing progression of breast and testicular cancers, and generally encouraging people to talk about these signs and symptoms. These initiatives also provide facilities for health screening, such as stool-sample testing kits and inspection of moles on skin by trained staff. The Department of Health is proactively promoting these health screening facilities in a variety of convenient community-based locations, including supermarkets and high street chemists, to avoid exclusion.