Oral and maxillofacial surgery: should a district service be retained?

The adult new patient attendances at a District General Hospital for 1988 and 1989 have been analysed and the patients with oral and maxillofacial injuries identified. The injuries were classified using the International Classification of Diseases. The time spent undertaking emergency surgery out of hours by each firm using the operating facility has been analysed. An argument for a national district service in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is developed and advanced drawing on the results obtained from the study.