Practice patterns of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Australia

Abstract

Understanding current practice patterns of oral and maxillofacial surgeons and identifying trends over time are key elements in informing debate on issues relevant to the speciality such as the future supply of services and training needs. Oral and maxillofacial surgery straddles the dental and medical professions, with growing numbers of oral and maxillofacial surgeons having dual medical and dental qualifications. There is interest in examining what impact this change in qualifications has had on practice patterns. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Australia were surveyed in both 1990 and 2000 using mailed self-complete questionnaires. Service provision data were collected from a one-week log. This publication describes the background and practice patterns of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Australia, the services that they provide to patients, and compares trends over time in key areas of service provision.