Tips on a maxillofacial toolbox

When providing an ‘on call’ service for oral and maxillofacial surgery, which can be very busy, one may rely heavily on kit provided on the ward, from theatre and/or in the emergency department, which is not readily to hand. However, when faced with a multi-user environment, presentation of cases out of hours and sometimes in an emergency situation, it is useful to have ready and rapid access to a toolbox with many of the available and necessary equipment and items one may need in general oral and maxillofacial surgery, restorative dentistry and urgent orthodontic situations, such as:

The basic toolbox can be obtained from a hardware store. There is better utility if there are multiple drawers, which should be clear to transparent, to see what is in each, of large and small size or with compartmentalization for different components and made of durable and waterproof easy to clean plastic, that can withstand the rigours of transport between different locations on a frequent basis. It should also have a strong handle which is comfortable to the hand grip (Figure 1).