SURGIA Newsletter: General Surgery Edition Volume II Issue 1 | Page 26

EVENT REPORT

MIDFACE TRAUMA
SEMINAR AND WORKSHOP
by Ryan Goh, Director of Dental Surgery

O

ral & Maxillofacial surgery is the bridge
between the medical and dental professions.
However, due to its long and tedious pathway,
most undergraduate students avoid the thought
of pursuing this unique surgical career. SURGIA’s
Dental Surgeon portfolio aims to increase the insight
into the Oral & Maxillofacial profession, provide a
platform for students to meet Oral & Maxillofacial
Surgeons and understand the pathways to enter the
training program.

dentoalveolar fractures and avulsed teeth, and the
interpretation of plain film radiographs.

In May 2016, the Dental Surgeon portfolio
conducted an event regarding Maxillofacial Trauma
Management with the help from Oral & Maxillofacial
Surgeons and DePuy Synthes. Dr Terence Alexander
presented a seminar focused on the red flags of
maxillofacial trauma and how such situations can
be managed in the dental chair and emergency
department.

Overall, the event was a great success in improving
the management skills for Australia’s future medical
and dental practitioners. From personal experience,
the skills taught on the night will not only benefit
those who are interested in Oral & Maxillofacial
Surgery, but also the medical graduates who choose
to pursue emergency physician training, and dental
graduates relocating to rural/regional areas of
Australia.

Scenarios outlined for the medical students
included equipment and materials used for airway
management and haemostasis for various types of
injuries. Some bizarre techniques included the use
of a Foley catheter to control high volume epistaxis,
as a result of a cranial base fracture. The dental
students were instructed on the management of

23 | SURGIA Newsletter The General Surgery Edition

The event was concluded with a hands-on workshop
instructing techniques used for the reconstruction
of mandibular fractures. This was the highlight for
most students, providing them with a taste of Oral
& Maxillofacial Surgery, and putting into practice
some of the techniques taught by Dr Alexander in
the seminar.

SURGIA would like to once again thank Dr
Terence Alexander for the wonderful seminar,
DePuy Synthes for their continued support of this
workshop, and the supervision by the surgeons
and registrars: Dr Mohammed Meer, Dr Timothy
Manzie and Dr Andrew Hughes.