What about oral and maxillofacial surgery?
BMJ 2001; 323 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0112464 (Published 01 December 2001) Cite this as: BMJ 2001;323:0112464
- Karen Juggins, senior house officer in oral and maxillofacial surgery1,
- Simon Whitley, specialist registrar in oral and maxillofacial surgery1
- 1Manchester
In most years at medical school there are usually one or two older students who seem to know more head and neck anatomy than their demonstrators or who suddenly appear for the first time at the beginning of the clinical years. It is likely that these strange individuals are qualified dentists training to be oral and maxillofacial surgeons.
A bit of history
Oral surgery has always had its roots in dentistry. In the past oral and maxillofacial surgeons were dentally qualified consultants. As the scope of the specialty has developed, dual qualification became the norm and is now mandatory. In 1994 it was established as one of the nine surgical specialties recognised by the surgical colleges.
What exactly do we do?
The scope of the surgery is very varied. It is certainly not all about extracting teeth. There is a mix of elective and emergency work in both children and adults. The kind of surgery we do includes the following.
Trauma
Injuries to the face are very common, ranging from simple cuts and bruises …
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