ABSTRACT
European oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) essentially emerged from surgical dentistry and surgery of the jaws following injuries, particularly in the First and Second World Wars.
From these beginnings a specialty developed that nowadays requires trainees to complete both undergraduate dental and medical degrees. In the United Kingdom this is followed by basic professional training up to the standards of obtaining the membership diplomas in both dental surgery and surgery in general before entering a structured postgraduate training period. It is the youngest of the ten recognized surgical specialties within the United Kingdom and remains unique in requiring this dual base.
