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Historical Milestones in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
LETTER TO THE EDITOR J Oral Maxillofac Surg -:1, 2016
HISTORICAL MILESTONES IN ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY
14. Dental implants, introduced into dental practice in the 1980s, added a new subspecialty interest in OMS and ultimately became a major area of clinical practice. 15. The operating microscope was developed by Carl Zeiss in Germany in the 1950s and subsequently was found to be indispensable in the repair of peripheral nerve injuries (including the trigeminal and facial nerves) and in the anastomosis of small blood vessels, leading to ‘‘free flap’’ transfers. 16. Computed tomography, first introduced in the 1970s, has become extremely useful in diagnosis, virtual treatment planning, and surgical design for various surgical conditions. 17. Fellowship training has given trainees post-residency opportunities to gain additional skill and competence in a special area of interest. 18. Managed care, beginning in the 1980s, essentially spelled the end of the ‘‘fee for service’’ era of medical and surgical care and influenced some surgeons to curtail or cease their hospital practices. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the founding of our specialty, let’s hope that OMS maintains the same enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work in meeting the challenges of the future to continue to provide the best of surgical care for our patients.
To the Editor:—Dr Hupp’s editorial1 stimulated reflection on my career in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS), beginning in 1963 and continuing to the present,2 and a review of the history of OMS.3,4 I have selected the following historical milestones as having had a profound effect on OMS in general and me in particular1: 1. World War I was the first time dentists were involved in the care of battlefield casualties. 2. The American Society of Exodontists (later, the American Society of Oral Surgeons [ASOS]) was established in 1918. 3. Sodium pentothal, introduced in the 1930s, revolutionized the practice of general anesthesia in the hospital and the office. 4. During World War II, oral surgeons were fully integrated into military surgical units for the care of war injuries to the face, mouth, and jaws. 5. The Journal of Oral Surgery (now the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery), first published in 1943 under the editorship of Carl W. Waldron, became the official publication of the ASOS. 6. Penicillin was introduced during World War II. 7. The American Board of Oral Surgery was officially established in 1946 and was renamed the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 1978. 8. Standardized residency requirements with 3 years of training were established in the 1960s (later changed to 4 years). 9. Professor Hugo Obwegeser of the University of Zurich, in the mid-1960s, visited the United States and gave a series of seminal presentations on orthognathic surgery. 10. Standards for office anesthesia were developed in the 1970s by Southern California oral and maxillofacial surgeons and were ultimately adopted by all state OMS societies and licensure boards. 11. Combined MD and OMS programs were begun in the early 1970s5 and are now offered by more than half of all OMS residency programs in the United States. 12. The name of the specialty association was changed 1977 (from ASOS) to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. 13. Temporomandibular joint surgery (open and arthroscopic) became an important area of interest in the late 1970s.
ROGER A. MEYER, DDS, MS, MD Greensboro, GA
References 1. Hupp JR: Help us remember our history. J Oral Maxillofacial Surg 74:1509, 2016 2. Meyer RA: ‘ Plus c¸a change, plus c’est la m^eme chose.’’ J Oral Maxillofac Surg 65:2389, 2007 3. Laskin DM (ed): The building of a specialty: Oral and maxillofacial surgery in the United States. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 47(suppl 2):1, 1989 4. Laskin DM (ed): The building of a specialty: Oral and maxillofacial surgery in the United States, 1918-1998. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 56(suppl 3):1, 1998 5. Guralnick WC: The combined oral surgery-MD program: The Harvard plan. J Oral Surg 31:271, 1973
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2016.08.034
1
HISTORICAL MILESTONES IN ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY
14. Dental implants, introduced into dental practice in the 1980s, added a new subspecialty interest in OMS and ultimately became a major area of clinical practice. 15. The operating microscope was developed by Carl Zeiss in Germany in the 1950s and subsequently was found to be indispensable in the repair of peripheral nerve injuries (including the trigeminal and facial nerves) and in the anastomosis of small blood vessels, leading to ‘‘free flap’’ transfers. 16. Computed tomography, first introduced in the 1970s, has become extremely useful in diagnosis, virtual treatment planning, and surgical design for various surgical conditions. 17. Fellowship training has given trainees post-residency opportunities to gain additional skill and competence in a special area of interest. 18. Managed care, beginning in the 1980s, essentially spelled the end of the ‘‘fee for service’’ era of medical and surgical care and influenced some surgeons to curtail or cease their hospital practices. As we approach the 100th anniversary of the founding of our specialty, let’s hope that OMS maintains the same enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work in meeting the challenges of the future to continue to provide the best of surgical care for our patients.
To the Editor:—Dr Hupp’s editorial1 stimulated reflection on my career in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS), beginning in 1963 and continuing to the present,2 and a review of the history of OMS.3,4 I have selected the following historical milestones as having had a profound effect on OMS in general and me in particular1: 1. World War I was the first time dentists were involved in the care of battlefield casualties. 2. The American Society of Exodontists (later, the American Society of Oral Surgeons [ASOS]) was established in 1918. 3. Sodium pentothal, introduced in the 1930s, revolutionized the practice of general anesthesia in the hospital and the office. 4. During World War II, oral surgeons were fully integrated into military surgical units for the care of war injuries to the face, mouth, and jaws. 5. The Journal of Oral Surgery (now the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery), first published in 1943 under the editorship of Carl W. Waldron, became the official publication of the ASOS. 6. Penicillin was introduced during World War II. 7. The American Board of Oral Surgery was officially established in 1946 and was renamed the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in 1978. 8. Standardized residency requirements with 3 years of training were established in the 1960s (later changed to 4 years). 9. Professor Hugo Obwegeser of the University of Zurich, in the mid-1960s, visited the United States and gave a series of seminal presentations on orthognathic surgery. 10. Standards for office anesthesia were developed in the 1970s by Southern California oral and maxillofacial surgeons and were ultimately adopted by all state OMS societies and licensure boards. 11. Combined MD and OMS programs were begun in the early 1970s5 and are now offered by more than half of all OMS residency programs in the United States. 12. The name of the specialty association was changed 1977 (from ASOS) to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. 13. Temporomandibular joint surgery (open and arthroscopic) became an important area of interest in the late 1970s.
ROGER A. MEYER, DDS, MS, MD Greensboro, GA
References 1. Hupp JR: Help us remember our history. J Oral Maxillofacial Surg 74:1509, 2016 2. Meyer RA: ‘ Plus c¸a change, plus c’est la m^eme chose.’’ J Oral Maxillofac Surg 65:2389, 2007 3. Laskin DM (ed): The building of a specialty: Oral and maxillofacial surgery in the United States. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 47(suppl 2):1, 1989 4. Laskin DM (ed): The building of a specialty: Oral and maxillofacial surgery in the United States, 1918-1998. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 56(suppl 3):1, 1998 5. Guralnick WC: The combined oral surgery-MD program: The Harvard plan. J Oral Surg 31:271, 1973
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.joms.2016.08.034
1