People who have impacted teeth are familiar with oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS). This is the surgery required by patients who have defects, injuries, and any other ailments in the face, mouth, jaws, teeth, head, and neck. OMS is recognized by international medical associations, especially in Europe, where a degree in dentistry and medicine is mandatory for medical professionals, and in Canada and the United States, where OMS is a special branch of dentistry. It is also recognized by the following medical associations: the American Dental Association, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Dental Council of India, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.
Surgeons practicing oral and maxillofacial surgery in Washington DC undergo special training so they know how to treat facial pain, wisdom or impacted teeth, and misaligned jaws, all of which put a patient in adverse conditions. OMS likewise covers dental implant surgery, reconstructive surgery, abnormalities in the face and jaws, cysts, and tumors. Other scopes of oral and maxillofacial surgery are the following: palate and cleft lip surgery, bone augmentation, bone grafting, facial plastic surgery, snoring, and TMD. OMS specialists work together with neurosurgeons, pathologists, dentists, plastic surgeons, eyes, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons, radiologists, and oncologists.
In some countries in Europe, oral and maxillofacial surgery is becoming popular among aspiring doctors and dentists. However, this interest is beset by inadequate funds from the government, which would supposedly be used for medical training. As an alternative, medical students can take integrated programs so that they could complete the three-year training for OMS.
In most cases, a medical student finishes up to six years of training after dentistry. In the United States, however, aspirants receive a certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery after spending four years of training. This degree also complements other degrees associated with medicine such as Mphil, MSD, MD, MBBS, or DclinDent. Graduates of the four- to six-year residency programs become eligible for the board.
About 20% of training programs in Canada, and 50% of those in the US require a dual degree, that of oral and maxillofacial surgery and medicine or dentistry. A student will have to complete 2 to 4 years of a bachelor’s degree, 4 years of dental study, and then 6 years of training for OMS. Having a masterâs degree is optional. Upon graduation, the student will have to take the board exam so he could be a certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon. There are also several organizations to which the graduate would want to belong. Examples of these organizations are FFD, FACOMS, and MOralSurg RCS.
Some of the famous oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the world are Bernard Devauchelle, Paul Tessier, Luc Chikhani, and Varaztad Kazanjian. All of them have worked on surgeries involving Isabelle Dinoire and Trevor Rees-Jones.
