What is a Maxillofacial Surgeon?

Check out this answer from Consensus:

Maxillofacial surgeons play a critical role in the management of complex craniofacial conditions, utilizing a blend of surgical expertise, innovative techniques, and comprehensive postoperative care to improve patient outcomes. Their work spans a wide range of procedures and conditions, making them indispensable in both medical and dental fields.

A maxillofacial surgeon is a specialized medical professional who focuses on the diagnosis, surgical treatment, and management of diseases, injuries, and defects involving the mouth, jaws, face, and neck. This field, often referred to as oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS), combines expertise from both dental and medical disciplines to address complex conditions that affect the craniofacial region.

Areas of Expertise

Maxillofacial surgeons are trained to perform a wide range of procedures, including but not limited to:

• Mandibular Reconstruction: Utilizing advanced techniques such as computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) to create custom-made bone plates and surgical guides for precise reconstruction of the mandible1.
• Controlled Hypotension: Implementing methods to reduce blood pressure during surgery to minimize bleeding and improve the surgical field, which is crucial in maxillofacial procedures2 3 8.
• Anesthesia Management: Employing various anesthesia techniques, including general anesthesia and regional blocks with sedation, to ensure patient safety and comfort during surgery4 6.
• Postoperative Care: Managing postoperative pain and complications, often using medications like ketorolac to reduce pain and recovery time without the respiratory depression associated with opioids6.

Surgical Techniques and Innovations

Maxillofacial surgeons utilize a variety of innovative techniques to enhance surgical outcomes:

• Prosthetically Guided Surgery: This involves the use of custom-made surgical guides and bone plates to achieve accurate anatomical reconstruction, particularly in oncology patients undergoing mandibular reconstruction1.
• Virtual Reality (VR) Training: VR and augmented reality are increasingly used in surgical training to improve the confidence and skills of novice surgeons, demonstrating significant improvements in self-assessment scores and cognitive skills5.
• Feedback Modalities: Different feedback methods, such as direct expert feedback and video feedback, are used to train students in procedural skills, showing that video feedback can be an effective alternative to traditional methods7.

Clinical Applications

Maxillofacial surgeons address a variety of clinical conditions, including:

• Fractures and Trauma: Treating facial fractures and injuries, often using controlled hypotension to reduce intraoperative bleeding and improve surgical conditions3 8.
• Orthognathic Surgery: Correcting jaw deformities and misalignments, with studies showing that the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) can significantly reduce fibrinolytic shutdown and postoperative bleeding10.
• Pediatric Surgery: Managing conditions in pediatric patients, such as mandibular and maxillary osteotomies, with the use of steroids to potentially reduce facial swelling, although the benefits are not always statistically significant9.