Brian, Riley, Cookey,

I would like to reiterate what Brian stated. Dentists are all trained extensively in H&N examination and H&N, OC cancer. We all had to pass standardized board exams sometimes more than one set depending on which state/province or county you practice in and these exams have a large section devoted to Oral diagnosis. We all know what to look for and what the signs and symptoms are and what normal and abnormal feel and look like. If individuals Dentists, MD's or whomever for that matter, as Brian has stated many times, choose not to look for it, it will not be found or referred.
It does not take long to do the full OC exam of the H&N and intra oral, and if you look at the description of a comprehensive/new patient oral exam it includes (I am not sure of the wording in the U.S. but I know it's there)a full head and neck as well as oral visual and palpation examination with documentation of abnormal findings.

It amazes and saddens me when something so simple as a tongue ulcer is overlooked or put off. If it is not normal looking and is present for longer than 14 days and doesn't go away, regardless if it is painful or not, it needs to be investigated.

My 2 cents,

Cheers,

Mike