The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery offers a four-year, fully accredited residency training program. Upon completion of study, the resident is eligible for examination leading to certification by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Optional degrees in addition to the oral and maxillofacial surgery certificate are offered by special arrangement including M.S., M.D. and Ph.D.
The goal of this residency is to provide the highest level of training in the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, and to insure development of skilled surgeons capable of providing continuing, comprehensive care. The program boasts a strong academic flavor with a high priority given to research.
Three primary teaching facilities are utilized to provide educational and patient care experiences: 1) the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), 2) the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, and 3) the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. All three facilities are a part of the UIHC complex and are in close physical proximity; they are undeniably among the very best and well-equipped in the country. To assure training and exposure in the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, outside rotations are provided at the expense of the department. Rotations are further outlined under curriculum.
Other adjunct faculty participate actively in undergraduate and graduate education. The faculty is diverse, offering training and experience from multiple locations throughout the country. The oral and maxillofacial surgery program is supplemented by a full-time orthodontist at UIHC and a strong, surgically oriented orthodontic program at the College of Dentistry. An accredited maxillofacial prosthodontic program enhances training at UIHC, and all disciplines participate in a comprehensive cleft lip and palate team.The College of Dentistry offers interdisciplinary relations with all graduate and undergraduate departments, providing considerable experience in dentoalveolar surgery, sedations, outpatient general anesthetics, and implants. Staff members include a strong complement of full-time registered nurses, dental assistants, and clerical support. The College of Dentistry offers a state-of-the-art audiovisual and graphics department, frequently utilized for case documentation and for presentations given locally, nationally, and internationally.
Our department is further enhanced by a full-time faculty member with an M.S. in pharmacology. The Dows Institute of Research is an integral part of the College of Dentistry offering complete research facilities and equipment, animal operatories, and associated faculty, staff and research assistance; such assistance includes a full-time statistician. A Ph.D. mentor is also a member of our department, facilitating research projects and grant formulation.
The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department provides each resident with a work station within the newly renovated residents room. Conferences are held in a large, modern conference room complete with audiovisual connection to the main operating suites. The operating suites at UIHC are large, modern, and rival any throughout the country, private or otherwise; this sweeping comment is true for the entire UIHC complex.
The process of evaluation includes a biannual evaluation with feedback from all faculty, off-service rotations, and staff. Such evaluations occur formally with the graduate program director emphasizing strengths, weaknesses, and guidelines to promote the resident's professional development. Yearly inservice training exams and mock board examinations further identify strong and weak areas and ensure competency.
The residents have ready access to a number of fine medical dental libraries. The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery maintains an up-to-date compilation of textbooks and journals directly related to the specialty. The Hardin Library for the Health Sciences has more than 220,000 bound volumes and 3,500 serials and journals. Personal computers linked to a CD-ROM medical-dental database allow residents and staff to conduct literature searches. Interactive computer simulation and satellite teleconferences are available and utilized frequently.