Kerala - Kochi   

Need for better training in oral-maxillofacial surgery stressed

KOCHI: Oral and maxillofacial surgeons around the world would be provided guidelines to follow evidence-based treatments combining clinical skills and using the published evidence in relation to what the patient needs.

This would give the best results and the international forum of the surgeons is trying to unite various groups of professionals to do better work together, said P. Kishore Nayak, president-elect of the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. The theme of the ongoing annual conference of the 34th annual conference of the Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in India is to get into evidence-based practice, said Rajan Gunaseelan, president of the association.

The practice and maintenance of records in a systematic manner is only about 10 years old, said Dr. Nayak.

This surgical specialty has to raise the standards of training, but even then, the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery published in India is of international standards, he said. The international association is yet to tap the potential of professionals in this regard.

There are about 6,000 members from 72 countries and the international forum would identify training centres across the world that would be centres of excellence which can provide fellowships to skilled professionals purely on merit. While the pathology of diseases may be similar, different centres across the world handle different numbers of cases. For example, oral and head and neck cancers constitute 40 per cent of all cancers in India, while in European countries, it would be about 5 per cent or less, said Nabil Samman, president of the International Association. The occurrence of cleft lip and palate is one in 800 births, which means there are 35,000 children born with such deformities every year, said Dr. Nayak.

There has been a tremendous growth in the achievements of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in handling cases like cleft lip and palate, craniofacial surgery, oncological and reconstructive surgery, especially by surgeons from India, he said. He said perhaps Indian surgeons in this specialty can provide training to the more needy regions around the world.

The challenge before the international body is to harmonise education standards that are different around the world and issue guidelines of education standards, said Dr. Samman.

V. Ilankovan, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon from London, who is part of the National Health Service, said reconstructive surgery to maintain the function of speech and swallowing and rehabilitation of the patients is one of the key achievements of the specialty.

Cosmetic surgery is very much a part of reconstruction as providing symmetry and aesthetics to the face should not be associated with enhancing beauty but enhancing quality of life, said Dr. Ilankovan.

According to him, this field of specialty should not be referred to as a specialty of dentistry. Professionals from both dental and medical fields have specialised in the field.

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