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What is voice?

Voice is an area of clinical practice in speech and language therapy where there remains much debate, not only around the aetiology and classifications of voice disorders, but around the treatment of them. In general, it is accepted that ‘voice...

Antibiotics in orthognathic surgery

This paper from the Netherlands looked at 137 patients over a one-year period, 18 of whom had Le Fort I procedures, 68 bilateral sagittal split surgery, and 51 bi-maxillary surgery. A further 54 surgical procedures were undertaken, including 15 having...

COVID-19 tracheostomies

This is a review of tracheostomies completed by an OMFS Unit in London from 10 March to 18 May 2020. A total of 176 COVID-19 patients were admitted to intensive care, 72 of which required tracheostomy due to prolonged respiratory...

Malignant transformation of leukoplakia in previous cancer patients

This is a retrospective study from Taiwan assessing risk factors in developing oral squamous cell carcinoma from surgically excised oral leukoplakia in patients with a previous oral cancer, the underlying thought being that patients with an oral carcinoma have a...

Justice for all: role of registered intermediaries

The United Nations’ Agenda for Sustainable Development 2015 advocates equal access to justice for all. In recognition of this, a number of countries have introduced a new professional role; a registered intermediary in England, Wales and NI. The registered intermediary...

Relapse after bi-maxillary surgery in a class III malocclusion

This study analysed 90 patients who underwent a bi-maxillary osteotomy for a class III malocclusion. There were 30 in each of three groups of patients based upon the Frankfort mandibular plane angle (FMA). They were divided into: greater than 32°,...

The nice therapist effect: does the therapeutic relationship matter?

Quality of relationships is considered a core component of all speech and language therapy work, yet there is little agreement of what constitutes a therapeutic relationship. This study describes a scoping review to map existing evidence that has investigated this...

Painful temporomandibular joints

This paper is a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing arthrocentesis with conservative management in painful and restricted mouth opening temporomandibular joint symptoms. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction comprises a spectrum of disorders commonly involving facial pain and loss of oral function...

Therapeutic alliance: more than the ‘nice person’ effect

Therapeutic relationship is considered a key component of many healthcare interventions, including speech and language therapy. Yet definitions and descriptions of what this concept comprises are ambiguous and sparse. This scoping review used the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines to guide...

Technique for benign tumours in the tail of the parotid gland

This is a retrospective study of 89 patients from China, 49 of whom were treated surgically by a partial superficial parotidectomy through retrograde approach, and 40 treated as an extracapsular dissection for benign tumours of the tail of the parotid...

Day case orthognathic surgery

This paper analyses whether patient safety is maintained when orthognathic surgery is performed as an outpatient. This Swedish paper reviewed 165 patients, 107 of whom were to have what was termed outpatient care, and of which 101 (94%) were able...

A song for my future self

People with aphasia experience a loss of friendships and social networks and, with this, a loss of identity. Interventions targeting participation, social and emotional wellbeing for people with aphasia have received more attention in the research literature. Storytelling is a...