• For use on the Heatherwood Hospital and Wexham Park Hospital sites.

• British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) issued 2003 (checked and verified by Mr. Michael Amin 27/07/2015)

This is a controlled document. If you are using a printed copy, check it against the guidelines site to ensure you are using the latest edition.

Print copies must be destroyed after use.

Abbreviations

Earlier in [2003] the Professional Standards Directorate at the Royal College of Surgeons of England met with the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) to discuss possible collaboration on the production of guidance to reduce the risk of wrong site surgery. It was recognised that the problem within surgery was specialty specific and the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS) was asked to consider aspects, within the Specialty, where wrong site surgery might be an issue.

BAOMS Council has highlighted two specific areas and is recommending the following guidance:

Extra-oral procedures

• The site of surgery, agreed by both the clinician and the patient, should be clearly marked pre-operatively, with an appropriate skin-marking pen, and the patient and ward staff advised that the marking should not be removed prior to theatre.

• The agreed site of surgery should be clearly recorded in the medical records.

• The site of surgery should be confirmed on arrival in the theatre suite.

Tooth extraction

• The radiographs (if appropriate) should be marked with the teeth that require extraction.

Because there are a number of different systems used to annotate teeth (which have caused some confusion) it is advised that, in addition to the agreed local method of annotation, the radiographs are temporarily marked (with a chinagraph pencil) prior to the extraction.

• If an electronic imaging service is in use it is recommended that, if possible, a printed copy of the radiograph (duly marked with the tooth/teeth for extraction) be included within the medical records and be available at the time of the extraction(s).

• It is also recommended that where there is doubt concerning the annotation (irrespective of system used) of the tooth in question that the tooth/teeth be described longhand (e.g. first standing molar in lower left quadrant).

• The tooth/teeth to be extracted should be clearly recorded in the medical records.

• The tooth/teeth to be extracted should be confirmed on arrival in the theatre suite.