title: The evolution of oral and maxillofacial surgery in Colombia: from the dental school of Bogotá to Waldemar Wilhelm and his legacy.
abstract: The evolution of the dental specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) in Colombia can be attributed to a myriad of altruistic, visionary leaders who paved the way for future generations. The process started with the indigenous groups who inhabited Colombia before Spanish rule, and continued with the founding of the Dental School of Bogotá in 1888 and the subsequent efforts of Waldemar Wilhelm in 1950, and consolidated with Wilhelm's legacy and surgical descendants. This article recognizes the pioneers, analyzes the circumstances under which they worked, describes how Colombian oral and maxillofacial surgeons fought plastic surgeons for the right to be in the operating room, and details the events involved in the structuring of the different oral and maxillofacial surgery residency programs in Colombia today.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Odontología, Universidad El Bosque Bogotá, Colombia jacastron@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castro-Núñez
mesh_terms: D003105:Colombia; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D012575:Schools, Dental / Q000266:history*; D013515:Surgery, Oral / Q000193:education / Q000266:history*