Maxillofacial

Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS or OMFS) specializes in treating many diseases, injuries, and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws, and the hard and soft tissues of the oral (mouth) and maxillofacial (jaws and face) region. It is an internationally recognized surgical specialty. In countries such as the UK and most of Europe, it is recognized as both a specialty of medicine, and as such a medical degree or both a degree in medicine and dentistry is compulsory. In almost every other region including the United States, Canada, (all of North America, Central America, and South America), Australia, New Zealand, India, and all Asian countries, as well as all of Scandinavia (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway) OMS is a recognized specialty of dentistry. All countries outside of the UK and Central Europe around the world hold that obtaining a medical degree for the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery is optional but not required.

Neck extension is likely to be relatively safe in injuries that are stable in flexion and extension, such as odontoid fracture type II and cervical spine fractures between C5 and C7. Head rotation is likely to be relatively safe in fractures below C4, as well as cervical vertebral body fractures, and laminar fractures without disc disruption. Early dialogue with the neurosurgical team remains a central tenet of the safe management of patients with combined maxillofacial and cervical spine injury ¹⁾