Welcome to the world of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery!
What is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon?
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (colloquially known as maxfax) is a unique surgical specialty which treats diseases affecting the mouth, jaws, face and neck.
Training in OMFS requires dual qualification in both Medicine and Dentistry.
What does a Maxfax surgeon do?
Despite seeming very specialist, OMFS is paradoxically broad. There are a wide range of sub-fields within OMFS, and the patient demographics range from neonates to the very elderly.
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Management of impacted teeth
Management of cervicofacial infections
Management of odontogenic cysts & benign oral tumours
Provision of dental implants
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Soft tissue trauma
Facial, neck, and scalp lacerations
Dog bites
Degloving injuries
Nerve trauma
Hard tissue trauma
Frontal bone fractures
Zygomatic fractures
Orbital fractures
Maxillary fractures
Mandibular fractures
Skull base fractures
Dento-alveolar injuries
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Management of developmental and acquired deformity, including cleft lip and palate.
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Treatment of skin cancers affecting the head and neck region
Reconstructive surgery
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Ablative and reconstructive surgery to treat cancers of the head and neck region
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Surgical and non surgical management of salivary conditions
Minimally invasive salivary surgery: sialoendoscopy & basket retrieval
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Management of non surgical oral conditions - common conditions include oral lichen planus, sjogrens syndrome, and oral infections.
How is it different to Oral Surgery?
Maxfax is a GMC registered surgical speciality.
Oral surgery is a GDC registered dental speciality concerned with surgical treatment of oral conditions, primarily dentoalveolar and oral medicine conditions.
There is some overlap, as the oral surgery curriculum is contained within OMFS, but OS does not train clinicians in the management of craniofacial trauma, cleft lip & palate, Head and neck cancer and reconstructive surgery, all of which would be part of maxillofacial training.
Getting Started Checklist
Check out the “getting involved” page!
Find a local OMFS unit using our department finder!
Download a FREE textbook for students!
Find out more about careers on the BAOMS website!