The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery
-
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Aug 1996
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe use of an information leaflet for patients undergoing wisdom tooth removal.
Attempts to inform the patient about surgical procedures have increased for the purposes of ensuring informed consent and improving satisfaction with the service provided. Leaflets are being used as an additional aid in general practice and in hospital units. However, such written information is seldom evaluated. ⋯ The WTL + Prompt Group showed increased knowledge on retest (P < 0.001). The WTL Group showed a trend to greater knowledge (P < 0.06) however the control groups showed no improvement (P > 0.5). Patient satisfaction, although greatest in the group given a leaflet without prompting, was not simply related to leaflet provision.
-
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Aug 1996
Comparative StudyMaxillofacial injuries in multiply injured patients.
Experience in team management of multiply injured patients with maxillofacial injuries is reported. During 1992, out of 169 patients transferred to the Royal London Hospital, UK by the Helicopter Emergency medical Service 38 (22.4%) had injuries to the maxillofacial region, 17 of whom were scored on the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) as having sustained facial AIS > 2. The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 22, while the ISS was 17.7 for survivors and 34.5 for those who died (chi 2 = 7.3, 0.05 < P > 0.02). ⋯ RTS compared between survivors and those who died was 0.05 < P > 0.02 (chi 2), while Ps% was 0.01 < P > 0.001 (chi 2). It was concluded that the severity of maxillofacial injuries, and hence their contribution to total injury assessments, tended to be underscored. We propose that refined facial injury assessment methods be tested.