Oral Maxillofacial Surgery
Oral surgery includes the diagnosis and management of Dento-alveolar conditions anticipated to require specialist care.
Clinical criteria
Conditions that could be affecting the mouth and area around the mouth, such as;
- impacted teeth (including wisdom molars, supernumerary and other teeth)
- extraction of difficult teeth
- diagnosis and treatment planning of jaw deformities
- cysts and tumors of jaw
- other soft tissue lesions of the oral cavity
- Dento-alveolar surgeries for patients with complex medical histories (e.g. radiotherapy, bisphosphonates )
Day Surgery:
Patients can only be referred to the Day Surgery unit for general anaesthesia (GA) by RDHM Oral Maxillofacial surgery, Specialist Paediatric Dentistry or Special Needs Dentistry clinics. Patients assessed as needing procedures under GA are prescreened and placed on the waiting list according to predetermined clinical criterion.
Waiting times are generally shorter for procedures that can be performed under local anaesthesia.
Conditions that may require urgent referral management include:
- Suspected malignancy
- Dento-alveolar infections that do not have systemic signs and symptoms,have adequate mouth opening and may not need IV antibiotics (Patients who have deteriorating systemic signs and limited mouth opening should be referred directly to medical hospitals)
- Patients suspected to have BRONJ
- Tooth or roots pushed into a sinus or other space.
For conditions requiring immediate management, such as suspected malignancy, contact the clinic directly on (03) 9341 1277 to coordinate care and ascertain the ability of the clinic to provide care on the day.
Prerequisite for referral:
- completion of the RDHM Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Referral Form