History of innovations in oral and maxillofacial surgery

Abstract

: Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a specialty that was born out of the individual efforts of surgeons trained in both medicine and dentistry. The specialty derived much of its early identity from its necessary role in management of head and neck trauma during World War I. Outpatient oral surgery was the mainstay of practice in the early to mid 20th century. Office-based practice still composes the largest share of the workforce, however the landscape of community practice has transformed over the last decades with the advent of dental implants. Enthusiasm for maxillofacial repositioning osteotomies was introduced later and gave a new identity to the specialty. The management of oral cancerous lesions and head and neck pathology is a more recent phenomenon. Parallel improvements in technology have made elaborate reconstructions possible, and our surgeons are now leading the way in comprehensive functional maxillofacial restoration. The future of OMS remains bright as much of the guesswork used in prior iterations is now replaced with precision surgery in both major and minor surgical cases.