Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program

The residency program at MedStar Washington Hospital Center is designed to train superior oral and maxillofacial surgeons who are capable of practicing the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery in a comprehensive, ethical, compassionate, and knowledgeable manner. The educational experience is progressive, offering increasing responsibilities as residents proceed through the program in an environment of collegial and lifelong learning.

The program is designed to provide the residents with sufficient didactic and clinical education to meet the requirements of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. All residents should be extremely well prepared for careers in clinical practice, both in academic and private practice settings.

 

Scope

The department practices the full scope of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Residents perform dentoalveolar, preprosthetic, pathology, implants, tissue engineering, and sedations in the busy outpatient clinic. Our major operating room times covers the scope of core oral surgery including orthognathic surgery, benign pathology, reconstruction, temporomandibular joint disorders, and facial trauma.

The department covers 2-3 weeks each month for both soft tissue and hard tissue facial trauma in the emergency department and MedStar Shock/Trauma. Residents take in-house call for the department seven days a week.

The faculty and residents are integral members of the Cleft & Craniofacial clinic at Children's National Medical Center and work in conjunction with the Pediatric Dentistry department covering pediatric oral maxillofacial surgery including emergency call for oral infection, oral/mandibular trauma. Lastly, residents rotate for pediatric anesthesia at Children’s National Medical Center.

Residents rotate with our core faculty at the National Institutes of Health focusing on oral surgery procedures and engage in research protocols. Additionally, residents rotate at the DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center to further expand on oral surgery in complex patients and multi-disciplinary care within the dental division.

On average, the department performs about 700 major operating rooms cases, approximately split 25% facial trauma, 20% orthognathic surgery, 20% benign pathology, 20% dentoalveolar, 15% reconstruction/TMJ.

Friday morning presentations - a lecture series led by faculty and residents on a vast array of topics including dentoalveolar/preprosthetic surgery, infections, trauma, anesthesia, implant surgery, medicine (including history and physical diagnosis), anatomy, orthognathic surgery, temporomandibular joint disorders, cleft and craniofacial surgery, facial cosmetics, obstructive sleep apnea, etc.

Monthly surgical orthodontic conference - in conjunction with the Division of Orthodontics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center residents and faculty discuss planned cases, techniques, and treatment planning on a wide variety of dentofacial deformities.

Monthly pathology seminars - lectures, CPCs, and microscopic histopathology led by Johns Hopkins Oral Pathologist Robert Foss, DDS, MS.

Journal Club - monthly evening session held with our faculty for literature review of journals related to the specialty.

Implant conferences - discussions involving complex implant cases reviewing surgical and restorative treatment planning, surgical techniques, and emerging technologies with emphasis on tissue engineering in conjunction with consulting prosthodontists.

Opportunities in educational and scientific meetings - these include the general meeting of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the Mid-Atlantic Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons meetings, the annual Board Review Courses offered by Colorado University, and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, along with many other lectures by leaders in the field of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Observership Program

Our clinical observership program is designed for high-achieving, motivated dental students who are seriously considering a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS). Selected students are fully integrated into the OMFS service and gain firsthand exposure to the dynamic environment of residency training.

Participants benefit from a high patient volume and a broad spectrum of clinical cases, providing a challenging and rewarding experience. The program offers valuable insight into the full scope of OMFS practice across both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Program Highlights

Observing students will participate in a variety of clinical and academic activities, including:

• Operating Room Observation
• Treatment Planning & Case Presentations
• Dental Implant and Dentoalveolar Procedures
• Morning Rounds & Resident Teaching Sessions
• Didactic Lectures & Academic Conferences
• Exposure to Inpatient and Outpatient Surgical Care

Inpatient experiences emphasize treatment planning and surgical management of orthognathic cases, facial trauma, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, and pathology.

Outpatient experiences focus on dentoalveolar surgery, dental implants, head and neck infection evaluation, and the assessment of acute trauma cases.

Applicants must submit the following materials:

• Completed Externship Application (Download PDF)
• Proof of Malpractice Insurance
• Dean’s Letter confirming good academic standing
• Current Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Record of Immunizations
• Proof of Tuberculosis (TB) Testing within the past 12 months
• Photo ID

Please forward all documents to:

MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Email: oralmaxsurgery@medstar.net

During the course of their training, residents serve on a variety of clinical rotations, including anesthesia, internal medicine, cardiology, general surgery, shock/trauma, and surgical intensive care. The program's affiliations include Children's National Medical Center, where the residents are extensively involved in the craniofacial clinic and treatment of craniofacial deformities as well as pediatric trauma and dentoalveolar surgery. Other rotations include the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center, and the National Institutes of Health. These rotations are used to supplement the residents’ exposure to a variety of clinical conditions.

4-year Rotation Schedule

	R1	R2	R3	R4
MedStar Washington OMFS (CNMC & NIH Clinical Rotations)	10 (1)	5 (3)	3	12
VA OMFS			2
Anesthesia (MWHC)	2	2
Pediatric Anesthesia (CNMC)		1
Internal Medicine		1
Cardiology		1
General Surgery		1
Surgical ICU			2
Trauma Surgery			1
Otolaryngology			1
Plastic Surgery			1