Careers in OMS
Explore a Future in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is one of the most dynamic professions in healthcare today. And while the future demand for dentists is expected to continue its steady growth of the last two decades, many dental students consider pursuing a specialty.
There are nine dental specialties from which to choose, but only one — oral and maxillofacial surgery — offers so many ways to make a lasting difference in a patient's life.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery, or OMS, is the surgical arm of dentistry. It is defined by the American Dental Association as the specialty which includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are respected and valued members of the health care team. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons maintain active staff privileges with local and regional hospitals in their community and practice in a variety of settings including private clinical practice, ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals. Other opportunities are available in academia, military service, or in dental research and industry.
103 OMS accredited residency programs will be accepting applications for 2011-2012 academic year. There are currently 1057 residents enrolled in OMS residency programs in the U.S., of which 215 are enrolled as first year residents. About 56% of the 387 individuals who applied for residency were enrolled.
