Abstract
Introduction: Following resection and free flap reconstructive surgery for oral and oropharyngeal malignancy it is traditional to keep patients ‘nil by mouth’ and commence oral feeding 7–10 days postoperatively, providing there are no other contraindications. This allows for tissue healing and minimises strain to the anastomoses. There is very little published information to indicate whether this is indeed best practice. Evidence provided by other specialties suggest that earlier oral feeding would result in shorter hospitalisation and less reliance on nasogastric tubes which are often poorly tolerated.
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