Successful study day is set to become an annual event

Dentists and surgeons from across Ireland came together recently for the first ever Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) study day held at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).

Every OMFS unit in Northern Ireland and the Republic was represented at the event, which covered many topics on the speciality, including clinical audits and innovative research.

Tom Barry, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Galway University Hospital, said: “There was a focus on quality of healthcare and a frank discussion on the management of oral and maxillofacial cases took place.

“Interesting talks were also presented on the topics of the delivery of maxillofacial care in Dublin, facial infection rates in Northern Ireland, quality improvement in maxillofacial care and medicine-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

“A presentation on the prevalence and nature of oro-pharyngeal dysphasia in relation to temporomandibular joint disorders was another interesting talk on the day. There was also an interactive session on diagnostic and management dilemmas encountered in practice. A frank discussion ensued between all clinicians in relation to the problems presented.”

Prizes were awarded for the best presentations given by non consultant hospital doctors. The winners were Dr Chris Wright from Altnagelvin Hospital for his presentation of ‘BCC excision margins’ and Dr David McGoldrick (St James’s Hospital) for his paper entitled ‘Significance of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic aid in cancer and in particular its relationship to mouth cancer’.

Tom said: “The plan is to have this meeting on an annual basis as it was such a success. We would also like to thank our sponsors, GS Medical, KD Surgical, Techno Surgical and Zimmer Biomet for supporting this event.”