Assessment of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service in a Teaching Hospital in Brazil

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine an epidemiologic profile of the patients hospitalized and/or operated on by an oral and maxillofacial surgery service in Brazil. A retrospective and descriptive epidemiologic survey of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service from Saint Lucas Hospital at the Pontifical Catholic University, Porto Alegre, Brazil, from January 2000 to December 2005, was performed. Data related to the number, sex, age, service year, as well as surgical modalities performed, instituted treatments, and length of stay, were collected from the hospital's handbooks. A total of 1117 patients were attended during the 6 years of study, with a decreasing tendency throughout the years (P = 0.022). There was female predominance (54%), between 10 and 40 years old, and attended via public health system (56%). Among surgical modalities performed, dentoalveolar surgery was the most prevalent (22.9%), followed by the orthognathic surgeries (21.4%), facial fractures (18%), pathologic condition surgeries (16.7%), and dental implants and grafts (13.7%). Surgeries of patients with cleft lip and/or palate (3.4%), treatment of maxillofacial infections (2.95%), and temporomandibular joint surgeries (1%) were less frequent. The information presented in this research elicited data to clarify the type of attendance performed by the service, being a cornerstone for planning, organization, and attention improvement of these patients. In addition, this information can compare with data among services, specialty acting fields, as well as, its impact in hospital activities.