What is Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery?
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the specialty of dentistry which
includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of disease,
injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic
aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial
region.
What does it mean to be Board Certified in Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery?
Education
Your Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon has graduated
from an accredited dental school and is licensed in the state
in which he/she practices. In addition, this individual has completed
an oral and maxillofacial surgery residency program approved by
the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation.
The American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is recognized
by the American Dental Association as the specialty board for
oral and maxillofacial surgery. The Board is responsible for reviewing
all applicants for board certification as well as administering
the examinations involved in the certification process.
During his/her oral and maxillofacial surgery residency, your
board certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon received graduate
training in other disciplines such as general surgery, plastic
surgery, medicine, anesthesia and pathology. Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgeons are trained to treat patients in the hospital, outpatient
facilities, surgery centers and in private offices.
Certification
In order to become board certified, an individual must complete
an intensive application and examination process. Applicants for
board certification in oral and maxillofacial surgery must provide
verified written evidence of their educational and training qualifications.
In addition, these individuals must provide evidence of their
experience in all aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Letters
of recommendation from board certified Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgeons attesting to an applicant's acceptable ethical and moral
standing in the profession and community are also required as
part of the certification procedure. The applications of all candidates
for board certification are reviewed by the Board's Credentials
Committee.
Continued Competence
Finally, your board certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon was
required to pass both a thorough written qualifying examination
and a rigorous oral certifying examination to be certified as
a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Diplomates are encouraged to maintain current competence by ongoing
continuing education.
Diplomates are recertified in current competency every ten years
by a comprehensive written examination.
Continuing professional education is an important tool keeping
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons current on new developments in
the field. This is accomplished through national meetings, seminars,
lectures, special courses, panels, symposia, and self study. The
Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon has demonstrated
a commitment to continued professional development. The American
Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery encourages its Diplomates
to continue their professional development through various educational
experiences.
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What services do Board certified Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgeons provide?
Removal of Diseased and Impacted Teeth,
and Anesthesia
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons remove impacted, damaged, and
non-restorable teeth. They also provide sophisticated, safe, and
effective anesthesia services in their office including intravenous
(IV) sedation and general anesthesia.
Dental Implants
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, in close collaboration with restorative
dentists, help plan and then place implants used to replace missing
teeth. They can also reconstruct bone in places needing bone for
implant placement and modify gingival (gum) tissue surrounding
implants when necessary to make teeth placed on implants look
even more natural.
Facial Trauma
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons care for facial injuries by repairing
routine and complex facial skin lacerations (cuts), setting fractured
jaw and facial bones, reconnecting severed nerves and ducts, and
treating other injuries. These procedures include care of oral
tissues, the jaws, cheek and nasal bones, the forehead, and eye
sockets.
Pathologic Conditions
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons manage patients with benign and
malignant cysts and tumors of the oral and facial regions. Severe
infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck
are also treated.
Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons correct jaw, facial bone and facial
soft tissue problems left as the result of previous trauma or
removal of pathology. This surgery to restore form and function
often includes moving skin, bone, nerves, and other tissues from
other parts of the body to reconstruct the jaws and face. These
same skills are also used when oral and maxillofacial surgeons
perform cosmetic procedures for improvement of problems due to
unwanted facial features or aging.
Facial Pain Including Temporomandibular
Joint Disorders
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons possess skills in the diagnosis
and treatment of facial pain disorders including those due to
temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems.
Correction of Dentofacial (Bite) Deformities
and Birth Defects
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, usually in conjunction with an
orthodontist, surgically reconstruct and realign the upper and
lower jaws into proper dental and facial relationships to provide
improved biting function and facial appearance. They also surgically
correct birth defects of the face and skull including cleft lip
and palate.
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What does it mean to be a candidate
for certification?
There is no specific status that indicates a surgeon's
(candidate's) progress through the certification process. Rather
the ABOMS will respond to inquiries by confirming whether an
individual is a candidate actively participating in the ABOMS
certification process. All references to "board eligibility" for
candidates have been discarded. This decision was made for a
variety of reasons. There is an issue of use of the term by those
who were not actively pursuing certification and thus misleading
the public and other communities of interest. In addition, the
term has a variety of meanings within the communities of interest
and therefore has lost its precise usefulness. Lastly the term
has become obsolete for many of the parties seeking a surgeon's
certification status.
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Public Disclosure
Upon written inquiry, the Board will verify the status of any
Diplomate or candidate. The Board will routinely report by mail,
fax, or at www.aboms.org whether individuals are certified or
not. Additional information regarding an individual’s status
will be provided to any party only upon receipt of a written
request and a signed release of information from the individual
in question.
Patients: may contact the ABOMS directly at 312.642.0070 to
verify board certification status of their oral and
maxillofacial
surgeon.
Interested Parties: may access this information utilizing the
"Verification of Certification" menu selection on this
website.
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Trademark Information
The names, trademarks, service marks and logos of
the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery appearing
on this site may not be used in any advertising or publicity,
or otherwise to indicate the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery's sponsorship of or affiliation with any product or service,
without the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery's
written permission.
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Disclaimer
The American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery is providing information on this site as a benefit and
service in furtherance of the Board’s mission. The American
Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery makes no representations
about the suitability of this information for any purpose.
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Copyright 1998 American Board of Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgery
All materials posted on this site are subject to copyrights owned
by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The American
Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery hereby provides limited
permission for the user of this site to reproduce, retransmit
or reprint for such user's own personal use (and of such personal
use only) part or all of any document on this site as long as
the copyright notice and permission notice contained in such document
or portion thereof is included in such reproduction, retransmission
or reprinting. All other reproduction, retransmission or reprinting
of all or part of any document found on this site is expressly
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Surgery has expressly granted its prior written consent to so
reproduce, retransmit, or reprint the material. All other rights
reserved.
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