Do new NICE oral cancer referral guidelines (NG12) risk delay in cancer diagnosis? An audit comparing outcomes of the new guidelines against old guidelines

Introduction: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) publish referral guidance for two week wait (2WW) suspected cancer referrals (CG27 2005, NG12 2015). NG12 updated CG27 and now recommends certain presentations, if identified by a GP, should be referred to a dentist for assessment (criterion 1.8.4). We compared NG12 to CG27 in a cohort of patients referred to an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery department to assess likely impact on outcomes.