Oral and maxillofacial radiologists: career trends and specialty board certification status

Oral and maxillofacial radiology is the newest specialty to be recognized by the American Dental Association, so knowledge about the parameters of this profession is in the early stages of development. The aim of this study was to understand the current distribution of oral and maxillofacial radiologists (OMFRs) in academia and private practice, the nature of their practice, and trends in their board certification status. An email describing the study's purpose with a link to a survey was sent to "OradList," a listserv that has a majority of OMFRs in the United States and Canada as members. Of the 205 respondents, 46% were female; the age distribution ranged from 25 to over 70 years; and 80% were working full-time. Among the respondents, 66% practiced in an academic setting, 20% in private practice, 8% in both private and academic settings, and 3% in the military. Only 37% of the respondents were board-certified. For OMFRs trained from 1965 to 2009, there was an increasing trend towards becoming board-certified, but a significant decrease occurred after 2009, dropping from 65% to 35% of those trained in those years.