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Influence of SIGN guidelines on removal of third molars in The Lothians, Scotland, a clinical audit
Author(s) -
Weir S.,
Lopes V.,
Malden N.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
oral surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.156
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1752-248X
pISSN - 1752-2471
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-248x.2010.01081.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pericoronitis , referral , audit , guideline , general anaesthetic , clinical audit , molar , general anaesthesia , oral surgery , dentistry , sedation , sign (mathematics) , family medicine , surgery , management , pathology , economics , mathematical analysis , mathematics
Aim: We carried out a prospective clinical audit to assess the impact of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) guidelines No 43 on the quality of wisdom tooth referrals to the Oral and Maxillofacial department of the Edinburgh Dental Institute. This was a comparable audit to that carried out in the West Midlands in 2005. Material and Methods: The data was collected from 100 consecutive referrals. Results: The results showed that 88% of GDPs who specified an indication for wisdom tooth removal in their referral letter were compliant with SIGN Guidance. A total of 79% of referrals required surgery for third molar removal with pericoronitis the most common indication. The referral of pathology‐free wisdom teeth was 13% (Lothian) compared to 6% (West Midlands). The indications for surgery were 100% SIGN compliant. Conclusions: The use of general anaesthesia in Lothian was markedly lower than in previous studies. This may have been due in part to the ready availability of, and clinician familiarity with, sedation techniques in the unit. The results from Lothian resembled those found in the West Midlands which suggest clinical guidelines are well applied in these two sites in the UK.