Oral and maxillofacial surgery is an internationally recognised surgical specialty requiring dual Medical and Dental qualifications along with specialist surgical training.
It is a young and evolving specialty, originally derived from dentistry as a specialty of Oral surgery in the early 1800’s. As with other areas of medicine and surgery it is rich with ingenuity and creativity born of a need to overcome illness and injury.
Oral surgery was developed during the time of the American civil war to treat facial trauma post-traumatic deformities along with cleft lip and palate. It continued to develop during World War I and World War II treating ex-servicemen.
In 1994 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery was recognised as one of the nine surgical specialties. In 1995 Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery registration required the surgeon to have qualifications in Dentistry and Surgery (medical Practitioner Registration).
Since this time Oral and Maxillofacial surgery has continued to develop into the specialty it is now, treating all conditions of the mouth, jaws, skull as well as the connected structures.
The face involves many complex interacting structures, which are important to understand in order to provide surgical outcomes with the best outcomes. It is the face that often matters most in first impressions. The first impressions individuals give to others can greatly influence how they are treated and viewed in many contexts of everyday life.
Thus Victorian Oral and Facial Surgery believes, it is important that any surgery in this area is completed by properly trained specialists with the greatest of skill and care to provide optimum results.