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Caddick J, Jawad S et al. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2012; 94: 94–98

Immediately following plastic surgery using local analgesia, 70 patients completed questionnaires about their experiences. Surgery around the face and giving locals caused patients most concern. Yet this is what a dentist does day in and day out. Apart from these observations, this paper focuses on the language used by surgical teams. Not surprisingly, the words 'knife', 'scalpel', 'bone nibblers' and 'artery forceps' were considered most alarming. The term 'blade' instead of 'knife', and 'clip' instead of 'artery forceps' provoked less anxiety. Nevertheless, patients generally were not distressed about 'awake surgery'. Some dental practice management gurus suggest small talk should be patient-centred, yet it would appear background noise and casual conversations 'may provide a welcome diversion from technical discussions between staff members.' There was no statistical analysis.