Oral surgery at St. Mary's Hospital, Chapelizod. A quarter century experience of day-case oral surgery.

To mark the first quarter century of the existence of the Oral Surgery unit at St. Mary's Hospital, Chapelizod, an audit was undertaken. Twenty-nine thousand, three hundred and seventy-four (29,374) entries in the operations register were analysed, examining annual totals, categories of operation, the changing patterns of anaesthesia, including cancellations on the day, and the evolution of a true day-case service. The results showed a decline in total numbers and in some operation categories. The most striking reductions were in extractions of carious teeth and in preprosthetic surgery. The most marked increase was in surgery for impacted teeth. While general anaesthesia remains the most commonly used form of anaesthesia, there has been an increased utilisation of sedation. Since the earlier years the number of patients requiring admission post-operatively has steadily decreased but more patients have been cancelled on the day of operation. Most of the changes described reflect the influence of health care economics and the effects of fluoridation.