Nurse practitioners (NPs) are the ideal medical practitioner to complete a 5-minute oral cancer examination of their adult patients initially and annually and to oversee that nurses working in long-term care (LTC) perform periodic screenings on residents. On October 1, 2010, the new MDS version 3.0 became federally mandated for clinical assessment in LTC facilities. The document contains 26 sections labeled A thru Z. Under Section L, letter C, the oral and dental status area of the document states that the nurse is to note any abnormal mouth tissue, such as ulcers, masses, or oral lesions. Therefore, it is now a primary duty of the LTC NP and nurse to complete this oral assessment because this document will also be evaluated by state surveyors and accrediting agencies