Routine follow-up after periradicular operations: current practice in UK hospitals.
Questionnaires were circulated to all Fellows of the British Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in 1999, 75% of whom replied (n = 194). There was a wide range of responses for both the timing of review appointments and the taking of radiographs. Most patients were first followed up 1 week after operation (46%), but 38% were reviewed in the second week. Five surgeons did not review patients at all and two did not review until 6 or 9 months, respectively. Nearly two-thirds routinely offered a second follow-up appointment but only 14% offered more than two, the maximum being seven. Most arranged postoperative radio-graphs but the timing ranged from immediately postoperatively to 1 year after the procedure. Less than one-third requested a second postoperative radiograph between 1 month and 1 year. The largest disparity was in the time of discharge to the general dental practitioner, which ranged from immediately to 5 years, the most popular time of discharge being at 3 months. The wide variations may reflect unnecessary recall of patients and misuse of valuable clinical time.
Oliver
R J
RJ
Clinical Academic Group of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, Turner Dental School, Manchester, UK. richard.j.oliver@man.ac.uk
Mavrakis
K
K
Macfarlane
T
T
D001047:Apicoectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010483:Periapical Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000601:surgery*; D006113:United Kingdom