title: Oral and maxillofacial surgery: what are the French specificities?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Oral and maxillofacial surgery has expanded rapidly over the past century. Recognition in France has grown since the first face transplantation in the world performed by Professor Bernard Devauchelle. This speciality, which seems to correspond to a narrow scope of services, actually involves oral, plastic, reconstructive, and cosmetic surgeries of the face. French training for maxillofacial surgeons differs from the Anglo-Saxon course of study. After examining surveys carried out in Great Britain, the United States, and Brazil, the perception of this speciality in the general public and among regular correspondents (general practitioners and dental practitioners) was ascertained.
  
  
  METHODS
  More than 4,000 questionnaires were sent to health care workers and patients attending dental practices. The returned questionnaires concerning recognition of this profession in France were analyzed. Evaluating awareness of maxillofacial surgery among practitioners and the public was of particular interest because it can overlap with several other specialities (ear, nose, and throat; plastic surgery; odontology). The questionnaire included the 20 items used in other similar studies so the results could be compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several fields of expertise were identified in maxillofacial surgery, in particular traumatology, surgery for facial birth defects, and orthognathic surgery. Moreover, dental practitioners were found to be the most regular correspondents of maxillofacial surgeons compared with general practitioners. Compared with Anglo-Saxon and Brazilian peers, French recognition of maxillofacial surgery was better.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite encouraging results, maxillofacial surgery remains a somewhat obscure speciality for health care workers and the general public. Better awareness is necessary for this speciality to become the reference in facial surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hôpital Lapeyronie, Montpellier, France. christian.herl@free.fr
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herlin
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goudot
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jammet
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Delaval
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yachouh
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001938:Brazil; D003815:Dentists; D005145:Face / Q000002:abnormalities; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D005602:France; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000145:classification; D056948:Orthognathic Surgical Procedures / Q000145:classification; D011639:Public Opinion; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000145:classification; D013039:Specialties, Dental / Q000145:classification*; D013043:Specialties, Surgical / Q000145:classification*; D013515:Surgery, Oral / Q000145:classification*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States