An audit of routine practice: a prospective study on the use of mouth props in oral surgery

Introduction Mouth props are routinely used for patients treated under general but not local anaesthesia (LA). Patient discomfort and excess operator time is an often cited argument against the routine use of mouth props.Aim and methods We surveyed patients, surgeons and assistants following the use of mouth props during minor oral surgical procedures under LA in order to assess their acceptability and utility in clinical practice.Results Forty-seven patients were included, with 24 patients treated using mouth props and 23 without. Thirty-three patients had dental extractions, three had intraoral biopsies and one underwent a tube removal following cyst marsupialisation.Discussion Patients reported less difficulty in mouth opening where a mouth prop was used. Patients reported similarly low levels of discomfort with or without a mouth prop. Ninety-five percent of patients who used a mouth prop reported they would recommend their use. The surgeon and assistant reported mouth opening as less problematic and assisting as easier where a mouth prop was used.Conclusion The results of this study demonstrate the benefits and broad acceptability of mouth prop use in the awake patient. We question current practice in that mouth props are not routinely offered to patients during oral surgical and dental procedures.