Specialty education and scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery in the United States

Abstract

In the United States, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) is a specialty of dentistry that focuses on the management of injuries, diseases, and defects of the head, neck, face, and jaws. The present manuscript is an article on education and training of OMS residents in the United States. It a lso briefly describes the scope of practice of the specialty. The manuscript also sheds light upon the less practiced areas such as research and business administration aspects of the specialty. The authors also discuss gender and racial distribution of OMS residents. Descriptive information was obtained from the literature and official organization websites. Lastly, owing to the background and the arduous training required, OMS is a specialty of its own kind. It is a combination of both medical and dental sciences, with surgical and anesthesia training, and is unique in the field of medicine and dentistry. OMS play a unique role in the bridge between medicine and dentistry. Continuing education and advocacy in the hospitals, institutions, and society are crucial for increased awareness of the scope of OMS to further our specialty.