Oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery is characterized by complex anatomical structures, extensive surgical trauma, and high demands for postoperative functional reconstruction. Perioperative complications and functional impairments significantly affect patients’ recovery process, quality of life, and long-term prognosis. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS), grounded in evidence-based medicine, optimizes perioperative management through multidisciplinary collaboration and demonstrates substantial application potential in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Multiple prospective studies have confirmed that standardized airway management, goal-directed fluid and temperature management, and specialized ward-based care can shorten hospital stays, facilitate early enteral nutrition and ambulation, and reduce intensive care unit admission rates and postoperative complications. However, existing ERAS studies mainly focus on traditional clinical outcomes, with insufficient attention paid to functional recovery specific to patients with oral and maxillofacial tumors after surgery, including speech, swallowing, mastication, facial expression, and psychosocial function. Based on the structure-process-outcome quality evaluation model, this review summarizes the implementation pathways and evaluation framework of ERAS in oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery. Furthermore, integrating current international evidence and a large cohort study from our team evaluating a delayed extubation strategy in patients undergoing free flap reconstruction, we demonstrate that perioperative management aligned with ERAS principles can significantly shorten hospital stays, reduce postoperative complications, and decrease medical costs while maintaining safety. Future efforts should focus on specialized pathways for oral and maxillofacial surgery, strengthening long-term functional and quality-of-life follow-up, and exploring digital and precision rehabilitation tools to promote the transition of ERAS toward a comprehensive recovery model emphasizing functional restoration and social reintegration.

Free tissue flap transplantation is the preferred option for repairing and reconstructing postoperative defects in oral and maxillofacial-head malignant tumors. However, challenges remain for oral and maxillofacial-head and neck oncology surgeons in terms of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, airway management, quality of life and prognosis. I/R injury is an inevitable complication of free-flap transplantation surgery. In addition to shortening the vascular anastomosis time as much as possible during the surgical process, many studies have attempted to further prevent and treat free-flap I/R injury using physical intervention therapy, antioxidant and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, etc. However, there is a lack of large-scale clinical randomized controlled trial evidence to further support these methods. Postoperative tracheal management of patients receiving free tissue flap transplantation is very important. In recent years, delayed extubation has been proposed as an alternative to traditional tracheostomy. This method can facilitate wound care for patients, reduce infections, speed up patient recovery, and reduce the incidence of vascular crises. In the future, such management is expected to improve the practicality and safety of delayed extubation by formulating more appropriate patient selection criteria and intensive care plans. Preoperative selection of suitable free tissue flaps according to the defect for repair and reconstruction is beneficial for improving the quality of life and survival rate of patients. At the same time, for patients who require postoperative radiotherapy, reducing the complications of postoperative radiotherapy and improving the quality of life of patients can be achieved through intraoperative nerve anastomosis, preradiation oral hygiene maintenance, early speech training, and other methods.