An audit of post‐operative complications following oral surgery procedures over a 3‐month period at the Eastman dental hospital, London

Abstract Objective The objective of this paper was to evaluate the rate of post‐operative complications following Oral Surgery procedures at the Eastman Dental Hospital. Dento‐alveolar surgery procedures can lead to complications including pain, swelling, bleeding, infection and numbness amongst others. Although many are considered minor and resolve swiftly, it is important as clinicians to have an understanding of the incidence of complications prior to undertaking surgical treatment to allow evaluation of the risks and benefits. Materials and Methods Electronic patient records were reviewed across a 3‐month period from February to April 2022 for every patient receiving treatment under local or general anaesthetic and intravenous sedation. Patients returning for an unplanned appointment with a problem related to their treatment was classified as a “post‐operative complication”. Information was recorded regarding patient demographics, treatment type and modality, complications, management and outcome. Results were analysed using Microsoft Excel. Results Nine hundred and ninety four patients received treatment in total. The overall complication rate was 6.33%. The treatment modality with the highest incidence of complications was general anaesthetic. Third molar extractions resulted in the highest proportion of complications out of the procedures considered. The complication with the highest incidence was post‐operative pain and swelling (2%), followed by dry socket (1.5%) and post‐operative infection (1.4%). Conclusion Post‐operative complications can occur following a range of procedures and can lead to significant morbidity. Clinicians should consider the likelihood of complications occurring when planning treatment as well as early recognition. Future auditing could consider medical co‐morbidities of patients and potential influences of this on developing complications.