Patterns and appropriateness of referral from general dental practice to specialist oral and maxillofacial surgical services

In this study we investigated patterns of referral and appropriateness of r eferrals to specialist oral and maxillofacial surgery services, using posta l questionnaires and referral letters. The most common reasons for referral were the expected difficulty of the operation, the medical condition of th e patient and the lack of facilities for general anaesthesia, Most referral s were made to the oral and maxillofacial surgery department of a general h ospital but almost three-quarters of the respondents stated that they would refer patients to specialist surgical dentistry practices in the future. F ew referrals to a university department of oral and maxillofacial surgery w ere considered to be inappropriate, nor were requests for a particular type of anaesthesia. Any future transfer from secondary to primary care for ora l surgery may be hindered by the reduction in facilities for general anaest hesia in the primary care setting.