International oral and maxillofacial surgery: the medical/dental interface

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a unique specialty based in dentistry but requiring extensive surgical training. The vast proliferation of medical and dental knowledge has resulted in extreme pressure on educational processes in both professions and, as a result, current medical graduates have little knowledge of dentistry and dental education has suffered with a reduction in teaching in medical and surgical disciplines. The specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery has become the referral base for a wide variety of the surgical and pathological problems in the maxillofacial region. The specialty, therefore, finds itself in a position where its expertise in specialty procedures is frequently poorly understood by both medical and dental colleagues. There is a need for strong international cooperation in order to maintain a viable monospecialty without fragmentation. This must include coordinated training programmes placed on the now widely accepted guidelines for training and education adopted by the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.