Oral maxillofacial training: Opinions of trainees and specialists in Turkey

Abstract

Esra Yuce, Nurgul Komerik

Objective: The field of oral maxillofacial surgery (OMS) requires both a medical and a dental background. A full spectrum of OMS may be vague not only for the public, but also for health care workers. The aim of this study to determine the quality and extent of specialty education provided in Turkey. Materials and Methods: The opinions of 100 residents and 100 specialists on the specialty training in OMS provided in Turkey were analyzed using a questionnaire. Results: Residents stated they felt they had the best training on dentoalveolar surgery; less training on temporomandibular joint surgery, cosmetic procedures, clefts and bone resection for complex pathology. The most desirable procedures by both residents and specialists, but least performed by specialists or those that gave residents the least satisfaction, were orthognathic surgery, distraction osteogenesis, arthroscopy and arthrosynthesis and minimally invasive cosmetic surgery. Nearly half of the respondents hold the opinion that a dental degree should be reinforced by an additional medical degree before enrolling on a training program in OMS. Conclusions: One of the striking findings of our study was the fact that although 94% of the residents’ choice of OMS as a career was based on passion for the profession, only 23 of them were satisfied with the training they obtained.