Introduction

Oral surgery (now more specifically oral and maxillofacial surgery) as we know is the surgical specialty of dentistry; it is also the field that provides a bridge between medicine and dentistry. Historically, its roots (no pun intended) lie as early as the Edwin Smith Papyrus (written 1501 bc). Interestingly, it is only last 175 years (which aligns with the evolution of general anesthesia in 1846) did the specialty truly evolve from exodontia to what it is today—a specialty dedicated to full scope care of the face: both hard and soft tissue.