Oral And Maxillofacial Surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a specialty of dentistry responsible for the diagnosis and surgical and adjunct treatment of congenital and acquired diseases, dysfunction, defects, and injuries involving the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are dentists who pursue additional surgical specialty training. The scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery is quite broad. The surgeons perform surgical extractions of impacted teeth (most commonly wisdom teeth), placement of dental implants, simple and complex reconstruction of bone and soft tissue defects resulting from tooth loss, trauma, birth defects or tumor removal. They perform Orthognathic surgery to correct growth abnormalities of the jaws and facial bones and treat obstructive sleep apnea. They remove cysts and tumors; benign or malignant; from mouth, face, and salivary glands. They treat infections of mouth, face and neck. They are experts in treating fractures of the jaws and facial bones as well as repairing lacerations of the face and neck. They perform surgery to correct conditions of the temporomandibular joints. They are experts in treating nerve injuries that result from trauma or surgeries in the mouth and jaws.

Periodontology

Periodontology is the science and teaching of anatomy, physiology and pathology of the supporting tissues of teeth namely gingiva, cementum, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone and the etiology and treatment of diseases within these tissues. The periodontal diseases may be classified into two broad categories, gingival diseases and periodontal diseases. Gingival disease or gingivitis – is defined as inflammation of the gingiva and it is in general a reversible condition. Periodontal disease or periodontitis, exists in several forms, but a general definition describes the disease as inflammation of the periodontal tissues leading to loss of alveolar bone and connective tissue.
    

The Discipline of Periodontology is a specialty within dentistry. The undergraduate teaching intends to educate the student in basic aspects of anatomy, physiology, pathology and etiology of periodontal diseases and their consequences to the patient, thereby qualifying him/her as a general practitioner to recognize, diagnose and treat moderate versions of the disease and refer more complicated cases to qualified specialists.
Periodontal treatment procedures for undergraduate students include patient motivation and education in oral hygiene procedures and general supra and subgingival debridement of teeth as well as simple surgical procedures. Periodontal specialist treatment procedures include advanced periodontal surgery, bone surgery and bone grafting, implant placement, muco-gingival plastic surgery and more.

Anesthesiology

Anesthesiology is the discipline in dentistry that manages pain and anxiety through the use of local anesthesia, sedation, and general anesthesia. The discipline of anesthesiology educates students in the managements of pain, fear and anxiety associated with dental treatments. The discipline also teaches the didactic principles and clinical competencies of pain and anxiety-control techniques to dental students. Included in this are methods of pre-operative evaluation, the pharmacology of pain and anxiety-control agents, the clinical administration of these drugs, and the management of me