Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) is the dental specialty that is most commonly known for treating wisdom teeth, temporomandibular joint disorder, and corrective jaw surgery.

But oral and maxillofacial surgery covers a much broader scope of practice utilizing advanced 3-D imaging and traditional surgical techniques to treat cleft and craniofacial disorders, oral cancer, jaw reconstruction, snoring and sleep apnea, dental implants and facial cosmetic surgery.

From diagnosis to administering anesthesia and surgery, through adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries and defects, oral and maxillofacial surgeons attend to both functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region.

To learn more about this surgical specialty, please visit The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons website

Advanced Education & Residency

Residents from the department have won several training grants from the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation, which is the research support arm of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Only five training grants are awarded nationally each year, to promote research awareness in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Research

Collaborative research occurs throughout the School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Department of Anthropology, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.

Current areas of investigation include

• Application of bone morphogenic protein (bmp) to nanoparticles in osseous regeneration
• Extracellular matrix in TMJ disc regeneration
• Novel therapies in craniofacial disorders.

Learn about Pitt Dental Medicine Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery faculty & staff