The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Dec 2000
Treatment of postoperative pain in oral and maxillofacial surgery.
We questioned 75 patients after inpatient oral and maxillofacial operations to find out how satisfied they were with the extent to which their pain had been controlled. Seventy (93%) had had postoperative pain. ⋯ Seventeen (24%) reported that the pain was worse than they had expected, but 74 of the 75 patients were satisfied with the pain control they received. We conclude that patients' expectations of pain control are low and that questions about satisfaction should not be used in isolation.