Review of the 'second degree' universities of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) specialists and trainees in the UK. Locations of their graduate entry medicine and graduate entry dentistry degrees, graduating between 1979-2019.

By spending 3-5 years in a single location studying for their second degree, OMFS trainees often put down domestic roots which they are reluctant to pull up to complete their training elsewhere. The universities at which OMFS specialists/trainees obtained their second degrees were assembled using the General Medical Council's OMFS specialist list, the General Dental Council's Dental Register and a database of OMFS trainees and consultants. The second degrees of 818 past and current OMFS specialists/trainees were analysed.

United Kingdom oral and maxillofacial surgeons support changes to current specialty recruitment process, which could include 'Walport' style local selection and national benchmarking.

Recruitment to oral and maxillofacial Surgical (OMFS) specialty training was centralised in 2010. The 'flexibility' for OMFS to respond to specialty specific recruitment issues is reducing and many Specialty Trainees' (ST) posts are left unfilled. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) appointment process designed to address the problem of recruiting and appointing academic surgeons with local selection with national benchmarking has worked.

Survey of United Kingdom oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) specialists and trainees about the reasons that they retain or drop their registration with the General Dental Council (GDC) including a summary of changes in the numbers registered with the GDC 2014-2023.

When dual degree OMFS training was mandated in the UK in 1995, OMFS specialists were required to be registered with both the General Dental Council (GDC) and General Medical Council (GMC). In 2005 this legal requirement for dual registration with both regulators was removed. During 2021 the authors surveyed UK OMFS specialists and trainees asking them why they chose to remain on or leave the Dental Register to give context to the changing numbers of OMFS specialists and trainees holding Dental Registration between 2014 and 2023.

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Objectives: Glucocorticoids (GCs) increase the risk of fracture through reduction in BMD; they may also reduce bone quality, but recent supporting data are scarce. We aimed to confirm these effects in a large population-based cohort.

Methods: We used data from patients referred for first hip and lumbar spine BMD estimation by the sole DXA scanner in the north-west of England between June 2004 and September 2016.

Duration of specialty training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in the United Kingdom for trainees joining the OMFS specialist list between 2002 and 2019.

Introduction: OMFS Specialty Training in the UK is usually 5 years and 'starts' at Specialty Training Year 3 (ST3). In 2007 a pilot of 'run-through' training started with Core Training (CT) posts linked to specialty training (ST1 posts). ST1 posts are usually 12 months but may be up to 24 months.

European OMFS in the time of Brexit - where did the UK fit and how might the future look?

Introduction: The specialty of OMFS in the UK is a dual degree specialty which was recognised in Europe within Annex V of Directive 2005/36/EU. Currently UK law matches that of the EU. Brexit may change this.

Assessment of High Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygenation in Endobronchial Ultrasound Bronchoscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has been widely implemented in evaluating mediastinal disease. EBUS-TBNA is performed with low flow oxygen systems or general anesthesia. Little data exist on use of high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in EBUS-TBNA.

UK Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery trainees join the specialist list at a similar age to other surgical specialists.

It is 11 years since Cameron and Westcott published 'Maxillofacial training is no longer than other surgical specialties'. This showed that OMFS trainees completed training at ages comparable to their surgical peers. Much has changed in surgical training since then so an updated review was undertaken.

Changing the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) training pathway in the United Kingdom - an illustrative retrospective.

OMFS training is perceived as a long and expensive pathway although papers have shown it compares favourably with other surgical specialties. Every OMFS clinician has a vested interest and duty continually to improve the quality of training and minimise costs, especially to trainees at junior levels. Any serious proposal to fundamentally change the format of training, must be given due consideration by all stakeholders.

Is routine holistic assessment with a prompt list feasible during consultations after treatment for oral cancer?

The head and neck cancer Patient Concerns Inventory (PCI-HN) is a holistic, self-reported list of items that can help patients to disclose their needs and concerns during routine follow-up consultations. The aim of this study was to report how often it was used during the first three years of follow up after treatment for oral cancer, and the range of issues that were raised. The sample comprised consecutive patients treated over a three-year period with curative intent.

Using the patients concerns inventory for distress screening in post-treatment head and neck cancer survivors.

Purpose: Cancer patients can experience significant distress during their cancer trajectory, which impacts upon clinical outcomes and quality of life. Screening for distress using holistic assessments can help identify and address unmet concerns/needs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between concerns and distress, and the impact of distress on clinic outcomes in post-treatment head and neck cancer patients.

Screening for distress using the distress thermometer and the University of Washington Quality of Life in post-treatment head and neck cancer survivors.

The primary aim was to determine the efficacy of the Distress Thermometer (DT) in screening for anxiety and mood problems against the University of Washington Quality of Life, version 4 (UWQOL). Secondary aims were to evaluate the association between demographic, clinical and health-related QOL variables with significant distress. Two hundred and sixty one disease-free HNC ambulatory patients attending routine follow-up clinics were prospectively recruited.

Left and right ventricular longitudinal strain-volume/area relationships in elite athletes.

We propose a novel ultrasound approach with the primary aim of establishing the temporal relationship of structure and function in athletes of varying sporting demographics. 92 male athletes were studied [Group IA, (low static-low dynamic) (n = 20); Group IC, (low static-high dynamic) (n = 25); Group IIIA, (high static-low dynamic) (n = 21); Group IIIC, (high static-high dynamic) (n = 26)]. Conventional echocardiography of both the left ventricles (LV) and right ventricles (RV) was undertaken.

Analysis of deaths between 2007 and 2012 of patients with cancer of the head and neck on a surgical ward at a regional centre and in an independent hospice.

Providing the best care for patients dying from cancer of the head and neck is crucial, and their complex, unpredictable needs, particularly at the end of life, mean that they are likely to die in institutional care. To evaluate the care given at the end of life we retrospectively reviewed the case notes of patients who died between 2007 and 2012 in a regional head and neck unit and a specialist palliative care unit (hospice). Deaths were categorised as sudden (rapid or unanticipated) or expected (gradual or anticipated).

Acute response and chronic stimulus for cardiac structural and functional adaptation in a professional boxer.

The individual response to acute and chronic changes in cardiac structure and function to intense exercise training is not fully understood and therefore evidence in this setting may help to improve the timing and interpretation of pre-participation cardiac screening. The following case report highlights an acute increase in right ventricular (RV) size and a reduction in left ventricular (LV) basal radial function with concomitant increase at the mid-level in response to a week's increase in training volume in a professional boxer. These adaptations settle by the second week; however, chronic physiological adaptation occurs over a 12-week period.

Identification, investigation and management of patient-to-patient hepatitis B transmission within an inpatient renal ward in North West England.

Background: Transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is rare within healthcare settings in developed countries. The aim of the article is to outline the process of identification and management of transmission of acute hepatitis B in a renal inpatient ward.

Methods: The case was identified through routine reporting to public health specialists, and epidemiological, virological and environmental assessment was undertaken to investigate the source of infection.

Chronic adaptation of atrial structure and function in elite male athletes.

Aims: The aim of this study was to establish the degree of structural and functional adaptations in the left (LA) and right atria (RA) in elite male athletes engaged in 'high dynamic : high static' (HDHS) and 'low dynamic : high static' (LDHS) sporting disciplines compared with sedentary controls.

Methods And Results: Eighteen male, elite HDHS athletes (13 boxers and 7 triathletes), 18 male, elite LDHS athletes (8 weightlifters and 10 Akido), and 20 male, age-matched sedentary controls were assessed using conventional 2D and myocardial speckle tracking (MST) echocardiography. Absolute LA and RA volumes [end systole (VOLes), pre A (VOLpreA), and end diastole (VOLed)] as well as the functional indices of reservoir (RESvol), conduit (CONvol), and booster volumes (BOOvol) were defined.

Quality of end-of-life care for those who die at home: views and experiences of bereaved relatives and carers.

Little is known about the quality of the end-of-life care patients receive at home. This paper reports findings from a study that explored bereaved relatives' and carers' experiences of end-of-life care at home using the Care of the Dying Evaluation (CODE) questionnaire. Narrative data from questionnaires completed by 72 carers of patients who had died at home in the North West of England underwent qualitative analysis.

Proximal humeral fractures: a review of current concepts.

The majority of proximal humerus fractures are sustained via low energy falls in the elderly population. These patients can attain an acceptable level of function via non-operative treatment. There is yet to be a clear consensus on treatment options suitable for those that fall outside of this majority group.