The role of qualitative research in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Oral and maxillofacial research has utilised predominantly quantitative research approaches and qualitative methodologies have been applied with very narrow scope. Although qualitative surgical research is increasing in popularity there is a lack of patient voice within extant research and important aspects of patients' experiences including preparation, perceptions of well-being, and functional outcomes are potentially overlooked. This provides researchers with significant opportunities to devise approaches that expand our understanding of the social contexts surrounding surgical interventions and associated outcomes and to develop better-informed approaches to research and practice.

Evaluating societal outcomes of orthognathic surgery: an innovative application of the Social Return on Investment methodology to patients after orthognathic treatment.

Outcomes after orthognathic treatment are complex, and include improvements to mental and physical health, and psychosocial adjustments. The Social Return on Investment (SROI), a framework that is recognised by the government, explores the wider social value of interventions, but has not yet, to our knowledge, been used to measure the value of surgical procedures. To test its feasibility in a surgical setting and to begin to understand the wider nature of the changes experienced by patients after orthognathic surgery, we designed a pilot study that focused on the first two stages of the six-stage model.

Effect of a domiciliary facial cooling system on generic quality of life after removal of mandibular third molars.

To evaluate quality of life (QoL) and patients' perceptions of a domiciliary facial cooling system (Hilotherm, Hilotherapy UK Ltd, Coventry, UK), we asked 30 patients to complete a paper-based EQ-5D-3L QoL questionnaire (EuroQol Group 1990, Rotterdam, The Netherlands) each day for seven days after the removal of mandibular third molars. They were returned by 14 of the 20 patients who had not used the system and by all 10 who had. Patients aged between 18 and 25 who had their teeth removed in outpatients (in accordance with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines) under general anaesthesia (American Association of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class I or II) and did not smoke, were included.

A clinical decision rule to predict zygomatico-maxillary fractures.

Patients presenting with periorbital trauma require clinical assessment to exclude zygomatico-maxillary fractures. A single-centre pilot investigation was undertaken at a general hospital in the United Kingdom. The sample was composed of 229 adult patients attending our emergency department with periorbital injuries.

Measurement of generic compared with disease-specific quality of life after removal of mandibular third molars: a patient-centred evaluation.

Our aim was to evaluate patients' perceptions and their responsiveness to a generic quality of life (QoL) scale after removal of mandibular third molars. We asked 40 consecutive patients who met NICE guidelines for removal of third molars to rank items from the generic EuroQuol three-dimensional questionnaire (EQ 5D 3L) and the disease-specific Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) based on what they perceived to be important outcomes. Each item was then assigned a numerical value that depended on its rank, and an overall score calculated.

Quality improvement in documentation for patients with suspected facial fractures: use of a structured record keeping tool.

Objective: Patients with injuries to the midface frequently sustain ophthalmic injuries and fractures to the facial bones. Despite this, basic ophthalmic examination and assessment of important clinical signs are often missing from the records of patients attending the emergency department (ED). We implemented a structured record keeping tool to improve documentation for patients presenting to the ED with midface injuries.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of hilotherapy following oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Craniofacial surgery causes immediate postoperative pain, oedema, and functional limitations. Hilotherapy delivers cooled water to the face at 15°C and may reduce the postoperative recovery time. This work presents a meta-analysis of short-term postoperative outcomes after hilotherapy.

Bleeding complications in cutaneous surgery for patients on warfarin who have skin cancer of the head and neck.

Many patients who have operations on the head and neck for skin cancer also take warfarin to prevent thromboembolic events, and there is still debate about whether treatment should be continued, adjusted, or temporarily stopped. The main concern is to balance the risk of haemorrhagic and thromboembolic events. In this prospective controlled study we compared bleeding complications in operations for skin cancer of the head and neck between 86 patients who took warfarin (100 tumours) and 87 (100 tumours) who did not.

Myopericytoma of the parotid region treated by extracapsular dissection.

Myopericytoma (MPC) is a vascular neoplasm exhibiting differentiation towards perivascular cells. Variable cytoarchitechtural features are visible within MPC, and there is much overlap between MPC, myofibroma and glomus tumours. MPC have a local recurrence rate of 10-20% and malignancy has been described in a few published cases.

Patient-reported outcome measures in nonmelanoma skin cancer of the face: a systematic review.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common malignancy in the western world, with an incidence of 98,000 in the U.K. Since 2009 the Department of Health (DoH) has collected patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) data following four common surgical procedures.

Marking the skin for oral surgical procedures: improving the WHO checklist.

We present a system for marking the skin during oral surgical operations. This system identifies teeth to be extracted or exposed under general anaesthesia. Removal of the wrong tooth can cause appreciable morbidity and leaves the surgeon and organisation liable for litigation and scrutiny by regulatory bodies.

Classification of surgical approaches to the mandibular condyle.

Published articles on surgical approaches to the mandibular condyle seem to be confusing. We present a classification system that describes and differentiates between surgical approaches to the mandibular condyle and is based on the relation to the facial nerve, height of the approach, and choice of skin incision.

Role of CT angiography and embolisation in the management of life-threatening haemorrhage following microvascular head and neck reconstruction.

Post-operative haemorrhage in the head and neck cancer patient can have a catastrophic outcome either for the patient or the free flap if microvascular reconstruction has been performed. The life of the patient always takes priority over the flap; however the pedicle can be at risk when the patient is returned to theatre for arrest of the haemorrhage. CT angiography is a good non-invasive method of determining the source of bleeding and facilitating superselective embolisation, minimizing risk to the flap pedicle.

Outcomes of prophylactic antibiotics following surgery for zygomatic bone fractures.

Data regarding the use of prophylactic antibiotics and infection rate following surgery for fractures of the zygomatic bone is scarce. Therefore an audit of the use and outcomes of antibiotic prophylaxis for surgery of fractures of the zygoma was undertaken. Following audit approval, four maxillofacial surgery units in the Yorkshire Region gathered prospective data for 134 patients undergoing surgery for fractures of the zygoma.