Aim. Orientation-memory-concentration test (OMCT) is the short version of IMCT, and the 16-item short informant questionnaire on cognition decline in the elderly (s-IQCODE) is the short version of 26-item IQCODE. Whether they can be used by telephone and what are the advantages and disadvantages were researched in our study. Methods. 65 dementia patients according to DSW-IV diagnostic criteria and 67 community-dwelling healthy elderly individuals were assessed. Collateral informants accompanied subjects to their appointment and were interviewed. OMCT and s-IQCODE administered by face-to-face and telephone. Results. The coefficient of correlation between face-to-face and telephonic scores was high(r=0.883-0.957). The reliability of OMCT and s-IQCODE was satisfied. According educational level, adjusted cutoff of OMCT were illiterate 14/15, primary school 10/11, middle school and above 8/9. According the new cutoff, the sensitivity and specificity were 81.5% and 82.1%. The cutoff of s-IQCODE in our study was 3.38/3.44, and the sensitivity and specificity were 86.1% and 81.9%. Conclusion. The validity of short version of scales did not change much compared with the full version. Telephonic screening has been shown to be a valid method of achieving early identification for dementia. Combination of informant questionnaire and brief cognition test is a practical method to remedy the deficiency of telephonic screen.