Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a surgical specialty focusing on reconstructive surgery of the face, facial trauma surgery, the oral cavity, head and neck, mouth, and jaws, as well as facial cosmetic surgery. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained to recognize and treat a wide spectrum of diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region. They are trained to treat problems such as facial deformity and misaligned jaws, tumors and cysts of the jaw, head and neck cancer, skin cancer, trauma surgery and some perform dental implant surgery and the extraction of wisdom teeth. In the United States, oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained to administer general anesthesia and deep sedation and are licensed to do so in a hospital or office setting. In countries such as the UK and most of Europe, it is recognised as a specialty of medicine with a degree in dentistry and medicine being compulsory.The scope of practice is mainly head and neck cancer, microvascular reconstruction, craniofacial surgery and cranio-maxillofacial trauma, skin cancer, facial deformity, cleft lip and palate, craniofacial surgery, TMJ surgery and cosmetic facial surgery.In the UK and Europe Maxillofacial surgery is a specialty of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Intercollegiate Board Certification is provided through the JCIE, and is the same as Plastic Surgery, ENT, General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Paediatric Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery. In the U.S., oral and maxillofacial surgeons are required to undergo five months of intensive general anesthesia training. An additional month of pediatric anesthesia training is also required. The American Society of Anesthesiologists published a Statement on the Anesthesia Care Team which specifies qualified anesthesia personnel practitioners as anesthesiologists, anesthesiology fellows, anesthesiology residents, and oral and maxillofacial surgery residents.
