I have a dear friend who is 44 years old and a smoker. She had been
seeing the same dentist for over a year. He had never performed an
oral cancer screening.  His hygienist never did either.  She noticed a
lump was found in her throat during this time ( a year after),  as
well as numbness in her mouth.  She was finally given a biopsy by an
ENT and was diagnosed with throat cancer.

She is not sue-happy, but being without medical insurance, and having
to undergo treatment, she will lose time, money, and go though an
ordeal.  Should the dentist have done something to screen for the
cancer?