Evaluation of Consultation Contents Directed From a University Training and Research Hospital to an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the conditions and indications in which a research and training hospital directs outpatient and inpatient consultations to an oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic and to evaluate the expectations of physicians in the treatment and management of various conditions. Methodology: The outpatient and inpatient consultations directed from Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University’s clinics and internal and surgical medical sciences services to the same institution’s Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic between January 2013 and January 2022 were included. The patient characteristics, the aims of and responses to the consultations, and the applied interventions were recorded and classified. The quantitative data were analyzed with a t-test, and the classified data were analyzed with cross-tables and chi-square tests. P values below 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The medical records and consultation notes of 178 patients (92 males, 86 females) were evaluated. Of the consultations referred, 97 were requested from Forensic Medicine, 23 from Oncology, 11 from Neonatology, 8 from Otorhinolaryngology, 6 from Orthopedics, 6 from Neurology and Neurosurgery, 5 from Pediatrics, 4 from Emergency Medicine, and 18 from other departments. When the contents of the consultation were examined, it was observed that most of them were requested for age determination, post-assault examination, and dental abscesses. Conclusion: The present study indicates that an oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic is in close interaction with many medical branches and disciplines, especially forensic medicine, oncology, otorhinolaryngology, and neonatology.