Integration of the medical degree in oral and maxillofacial surgery: A 10-year follow-up

Purpose: Ten years ago, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons membership was surveyed to evaluate the influence that integration of a medical degree might have on oral and maxillofacial training. The intent of the current survey was to reassess the influence a medical degree has had on the specialty over the past 10 years. Patients and Methods: The effects of a medical degree on privileges, referral patterns, and its role in the office, hospital, and academic settings were studied. Biographical data was collected and responses were evaluated for the following groups: 1) the nation as a whole, 2) MD versus non-MD oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMS), 3) geographic regions of practice, 4) population, 5) number of years in practice, and 6) involvement in academic programs. Results: The results of this survey were similar to the previous one. Substantially different responses were seen between the dual-degree and single-degree OMS as well as differences between geographic locations, years in practice, and academic involvement. MD-DDS and academic OMS again possessed a broader spectrum of privileges than their colleagues. Recently trained OMS again possessed a greater number of privileges than more experienced surgeons. Conclusion: Overall there has been a trend toward increasing surgical privileges over the past 10 years for both single- and dual-degree OMS. The results presented emphasize the need to continually assess the influence that a medical degree has on the specialty.