Job Profile Of An Oral Surgeon
What is an oral surgeon? An oral surgeon is a physician who performs surgeries on the mouth, jaws, neck, and head structure to remove teeth, tumors, and abnormal growths, repair fractured jaws and abnormal jaw relations, etc. In USA, this is one of the nine special dentistry professions that is recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, and Royal College of Dentists of Canada. What are the qualifications required to become an oral surgeon? One who aspires to become an oral surgeon must have a degree in dentistry. After this, they are required to complete 4 to 6 years in surgical training. They can further opt for a fellowship of 1 to 2 years to extend the scope of their knowledge. What does the job of an oral surgeon involve? Apart from functions such as extractions of teeth from the jaw and the removal of tumors, they are required to perform the following functions:- * Oral and Dentoalveolar Surgery * Preprosthetic Surgery * Dental implant surgery and bone grafting * Orthognathic surgery * Facial trauma surgery * Surgeries of odontogenic and nonodontogenic tumors * Reconstructive surgery * Cleft lip and palate surgery * Congenital craniofacial deformities * Facial plastic surgery * Temporomandibular joint disorder * Head and Neck Oncology What are the areas that a oral surgeon needs to be adept in? An oral surgeon often works in combination with dentists, prosthodontists, orthodontists, radiologists, oncologists, ENT surgeons, pathologists, neurosurgeons, and plastic surgeons. He needs to be an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of the following - benign pathology, malignant pathology, congenital malformations, chronic facial pain disorders, temporomandibular joint disorders, dysgnathia, cutaneous malignancy, dental implants, and sleep apnea. What are the future prospects in this job? Employment opportunities for dentists are expected to rise quite like other jobs by the year 2014. This is mostly because of the fact that a large number of dentists are expected to retire by then and also because of the new inventions and techniques coming up in the medical field, a huge manpower will be required. Also those who want to establish their own clinics are also at the profitable end. Do oral surgeons need to have a license? Government authorities want to ensure that standards of health are high and as such they have made it mandatory to possess a license to practice. To get this license, apart from the requisite educational qualifications, one also needs to go through some practical examinations and written tests. |