Development of oral surgery services in primary care

AbstractAim:  This article describes the experiences of running a referral management centre using clinical triage together with the development of primary care‐based oral surgery services after 3 years.Results:  The benefits have been reduced waiting times for patients, improvements in access to oral surgery services, engagement of oral surgery specialists in a general practice setting and considerable ongoing savings to the NHS.Conclusions:  A sustained increase in demand for oral surgery has been fully met by the flexible response of primary care‐based oral surgeons and National Health Service (NHS) commissioners. However, the continued rise in referral numbers remains a concern.