Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Occupation Details

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

The main tasks and work activities of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are to administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain, treat dental problems or diseases, analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals, collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment. In general, for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, judgment and Decision Making, complex Problem Solving, reading Comprehension, critical Thinking and other 14 skills are required.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Job Description
Education	Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Related Experience	Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Job Training	Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Example	These occupations often involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Examples include pharmacists, lawyers, astronomers, biologists, clergy, neurologists, and veterinarians.

The following chart shows the education/training levels for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons jobs.

Less than a High School Diploma

0.00%

High School Diploma (or the equivalent)

0.00%

Post-Secondary Certificate

0.00%

Some College Courses

0.00%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

0.00%

Bachelor's Degree and Above

100.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Administer general and local anesthetics.
Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth.
Evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future.
Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment.
Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants, and to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues.
Remove tumors and other abnormal growths of the oral and facial regions, using surgical instruments.
Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck.
Treat problems affecting the oral mucosa, such as mouth ulcers and infections.
Provide emergency treatment of facial injuries including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones.
Perform surgery on the mouth and jaws to treat conditions, such as cleft lip and palate and jaw growth problems.
Restore form and function by moving skin, bone, nerves, and other tissues from other parts of the body to reconstruct the jaws and face.
Treat snoring problems, using laser surgery.
Perform minor cosmetic procedures, such as chin and cheekbone enhancements.
Perform minor facial rejuvenation procedures, including the use of Botox and laser technology.

Assisting and Caring for OthersProviding personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Performing for or Working Directly with the PublicPerforming for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Documenting/Recording InformationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Provide Consultation and Advice to OthersProviding guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
Analyzing Data or InformationIdentifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain.
Treat dental problems or diseases.
Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
Operate on patients to treat conditions.
Treat acute illnesses, infections, or injuries.
Treat medical emergencies.
Treat chronic diseases or disorders.

Skills and Abilities for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
ScienceUsing scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
Systems AnalysisDetermining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Operations AnalysisAnalyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Systems EvaluationIdentifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Visual Color DiscriminationThe ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.

Dental forcepse.g. Alveolar forceps
Dental anesthesia sets or accessoriese.g. Anesthesia machines
Dental anesthesia sets or accessoriese.g. Anesthetic injectors
Surgical scalpels or knives or blades or trephines or accessoriese.g. Angled scalpels
Periodontal knivese.g. Anterior periotomes
Dental elevatorse.g. Apexo elevators
Dental forcepse.g. Apical forceps
Dental forcepse.g. Articulating paper forceps
Automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddlese.g. Automated external defibrillators AED
Bandage scissors or its suppliese.g. Bandage scissors
Dental depth gaugese.g. Bone calipers
Surgical bone biopsy mills or related productse.g. Bone crushers
Dental files or raspse.g. Bone files
Surgical bone biopsy mills or related productse.g. Bone mills
Surgical impactors or packerse.g. Bone packers
Surgical impactors or packerse.g. Bone pluggers
Surgical impactors or packerse.g. Bone tampers
Patient carbon dioxide detectorse.g. Capnograph monitors
Dental retractorse.g. Cheek retractors
Dental scalers or accessoriese.g. Chisel scalers

Medicine and DentistryKnowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
BiologyKnowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
PsychologyKnowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
ChemistryKnowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Personnel and Human ResourcesKnowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Therapy and CounselingKnowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Occupation Detailed Description

Tasks and Work Activities of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Skills and Abilities for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons