Referral to emergency

If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.

  • nil

For clinical advice, please telephone the relevant metropolitan Local Health Network switchboard and ask to speak to the relevant specialty service.

Central Adelaide Local Health Network

Category 1 - appointment clinically indicated within 30 days

  • craniofacial trauma

Category 2 — appointment clinically indicated within 90 days

  • craniofacial microsomia
  • craniomaxillofacial deformity
  • dentofacial deformity
  • growth disturbances
  • maxillary and mandibular growth disorders with established craniomaxillofacial diagnosis
  • syndromic craniosynostosis
  • Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) and related conditions

Category 3 — appointment clinically indicated within 365 days

  • nil

For more on outpatient referrals, see the general referral information.

Essential referral information

Completion required before first appointment to ensure patients are ready for care. Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.

  • identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • relevant social history, including identifying if you feel your patient is from a vulnerable population and/or requires a third party to receive correspondence on their behalf
  • interpreter requirements
  • craniofacial disorder symptoms including:
    • difficulty with chewing or swallowing
    • symptoms have persisted for more than 12 months
    • documented significant weight loss or malnutrition secondary to facial skeletal deformity
  • dentofacial deformity symptoms including:
    • severe class II malocclusion with an overjet of greater than 9mm
    • severe class III malocclusion with a negative overjet of greater than 3.5mm
    • anterior open bite greater than 4mm
    • documented speech impairment that is the result of a poor bite or jaw positioning following assessment and confirmation by speech pathologist
  • obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) diagnosis confirmed by respiratory/sleep physician who have failed the following:
    • trial of continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP)
    • less invasive surgical procedures
  • OSA diagnosis confirmed by respiratory/sleep physician, with skeletal anomalies associated with narrowed upper airways
  • other health care workers or allied health reports

Clinical management advice

Orthognathic surgery (OGS), or corrective jaw surgery is available to patients treated by Cleft & Craniofacial SA adult services provided at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH).

If the patient requires urgent attention and/or fulfils category 1 triage criteria, please contact the on-call registrar to discuss and ensure your referral has been received.

Clinical resources

Consumer resources