Benign Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
Emergency department referrals
Advise patient to present to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine.
For emergency referrals the on-call Oral and Maxillofacial Registrar must be contacted through Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital switch (07) 3646 8111 to obtain appropriate prioritisation and treatment advice. Urgent cases accepted via phone must be accompanied with a written referral and a copy faxed immediately to the Oral and Maxillofacial Clinic Fax: (07) 3646 3545
Does your patient wish to be referred?
Minimum referral criteria
Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?
Category 1
Appointment within 30 days is desirable
- No category 1 criteria
Category 2
Appointment within 90 days is desirable
- Benign Soft Tissue Tumours
- Benign Bony Tumours
- Odontogenic
- Non-odontogenic
- Temporo-mandibular Joint pathology
- Benign salivary gland pathology of parotid, submandibular, sublingual or minor salivary glands
- Cysts, lumps and suspected neoplasms affecting the jaw
- Sinus pathology (of dental origin, i.e. odontogenic sinusitis)
- Osteomyelitis
Category 3
Appointment within 365 days is desirable
- Xerostomia (dry mouth)
If your patient does not meet the minimum referral criteria
Consider other treatment pathways or an alternative diagnosis.
If you still need to refer your patient:
- Please explain why (e.g. warning signs or symptoms, clinical modifiers, uncertain about diagnosis, etc.)
- Please note that your referral may not be accepted or may be redirected to another service
Referral requirements
A referral may be rejected without the following information.
Essential referral information
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can’t order, or the patient can’t afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
Additional referral information
Useful for processing the referral
- Details of conservative measures trialled
- History and examination findings including: swelling of jaw buccal and/ or lingual
- Hard bony expansion
- Loss of lip sensation
- Tooth mobility
- Fluctuation
- Non-healing ulceration
- Change of bony density on x-ray
- Dry mouth associated with difficulty of speech and swallowing
- Associated with other disease, such as Sjögren’s, rheumatic disease, previous history of radiotherapy
- A high-quality clinical photograph is highly beneficial for oral lesion referrals and should be included whenever possible to assist triaging
Other useful information for referring practitioners
Not an exhaustive list
- Refer to HealthPathwaysfor assessment and management recommendations.
- Consider the role of existing medication in xerostomia
- Trial artificial saliva and sugar free chewing gum before referral
- Dry mouth more common in older age group
- Trial with pilocarpine – it is important to measure salivary flow prior to trial
Out of catchment
Metro North Health is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. Special consideration is made for patients requiring tertiary care or services that are not provided by their local Hospital and Health Service. If your patient lives outside the Metro North Health area and you wish to refer them to one of our services, inclusion of information regarding their particular medical and social factors will assist with the triaging of your referral.
Clinical Modifiers (where relevant)
- Impact on employment
- Impact on education
- Impact on home
- Impact on activities of daily living
- Impact on ability to care for others
- Impact on personal frailty or safety
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Reason for Referral (essential)
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can’t order, or the patient can’t afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
Clinical Information (essential)
- Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
- Physical findings
- Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
- Current medications and dosages
- Drug allergies
- Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use
Patient’s Demographic Details (essential)
- Full name (including aliases)
- Date of birth
- Residential and postal address
- Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
- Medicare number (where eligible)
- Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
- Preferred language and interpreter requirements
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Referring Practitioner Details (essential)
- Full name
- Full address
- Contact details – telephone, fax, email
- Provider number
- Date of referral
- Signature
Other Information (where relevant)
- Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
- Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
- Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)
Send referral
Hotline: 1300 364 938
Medical Objects ID: MQ40290004P
HealthLink EDI: qldmnhhs
Mail:
Metro North Central Patient Intake
Aspley Community Centre
776 Zillmere Road
ASPLEY QLD 4034
Fax number:
Metro North Central Patient Intake
1300 364 952
Health pathways
Access to Health Pathways is free for clinicians in Metro North Brisbane.
For login details email:
healthpathways@brisbanenorthphn.org.au
Login to Brisbane North Health Pathways:
brisbanenorth.healthpathwayscommunity.org