Originally posted by zazzookode
-Also question why nearly half of all OMS residencies result with one getting an MD. Hmmmmmmm, Zazzoo is on to something here. Yeah, if it's such a "dental only" specialty, why do most programs entail medical training. This just show how pathetic it is to make this a dental vs. medical argument. It just makes Yah-E look like a hypocrite.
Both physicians and dentists can specialize in OMS. YES, THEY CAN YAH-E!!!! If you were informed about the field, you would know this. But you aren't so you are making this a petty squabble about dentistry versus medicine. I could care less what initials you have behind your name. I would hope that someone who is passionate about OMS wouldn't care if DMD or MD is behind their name.
It's sad that I met so much resistance by providing an informative option. 🙄
Sorry, but I don't believe an opinion from a pre-dent is as "informative" as the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS). Here it is straight from their website
www.aaoms.org
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is defined by the American Dental Association as the specialty of dentistry which includes the diagnosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the bone and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region.
Even though oral and maxillofacial surgeons perform many of the same procedures as plastic surgeons and other medical specialists, oral and maxillofacial surgery is a specialty of dentistry. All
OMSs are dentists , though some also hold medical degrees, and the practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery is regulated by state dental boards rather than medical boards.
Q: What special training do oral and maxillofacial surgeons receive?
A: Following graduation from four years of dental school, oral and maxillofacial surgeons complete a hospital-based surgical residency of at least four years. This residency includes training in medicine, general surgery, anesthesia and physical diagnosis. The core surgical training is identical to that provided to medical residents, and in most cases OMSs and medical doctors are trained together.
Some OMS residents earn medical degrees through residency programs that integrate OMS and MD training. All OMS residents, whether they hold a dental degree or a dental and medical degree , rotate through hospital medical, surgical and anesthesia services, where they perform the same duties and procedures as residents in medical specialties.
Nowhere does this site mention that you can go through medical school first and then pursue an OMS residency. Yeah, there might be the RARE exception that does, but if you want to be an OMS, you better like teeth because it is a big part of the specialty. How do I know? I am currently taking Oral Surgery as a third year class. The gun shot wound repair lectures definitely showcased the importance of the medical training in OMS. However, the lectures we've had on jaw surgery (like those referred from orthodontists) are more than convincing why a dental background is absolutely necessary for this field. For you pre-dents, I am talking about those surgeries that people with huge underbites (a jaw that sticks way out forward - Class III) are corrected to have a more normal looking profile. You've all seen people who could/have benefitted from this type of surgery. This involves knowing a lot about occlusion, a subject that can only be learned over YEARS in dental school. There is no way they can teach occlusion over a couple of lunch lectures to a medical student.
I agree with the above posters, if you really want to be a surgeon, go to med school by any means you can get in. Then specialize in plastics or otolaryngology (However, I think these fellowships are still highly competitive among surgery residents). But if you want to be an ORAL SURGEON, by the definition given by the AAOMS, you have to go to dental school first. No exceptions about it.