Oral surgeons in full-time private practice.

The most prevalent type of practice of oral surgeons is full-time private practice. Its characteristics as obtained from data of The Manpower Survey of Oral Surgery in 1974 are described in this article. The number of offices or type of practice (solo or group) was not correlated significantly with the age of oral surgeons. The factor of reason for practice location had no influence on the factors of size of population where the practice was located, size of the trade area where practice was located, or annual income. The factor of average annual income indicated that the greatest income was earned by oral surgeons who were between the ages of 40 and 50 and whose practice was located in a population area of between 250,000 and 500,000. Annual income was also influenced by number of years in a practice location up to about five years. After that, years in a location had little influence. The question of adding a partner influenced younger oral surgeons more than older ones. More oral surgeons in solo practice intended to add a partner than oral surgeons in group practice. Neither the population of the city where a practice was located nor the waiting period for admission to a hospital for patients who needed elective surgery influenced significantly the plans of oral surgeons in full-time private practice with regard to the addition of an associate. The opinion of oral surgeons in full-time private practice with regard to methods of increasing the effectiveness of practice also was reviewed. A large proportion of oral surgeons in full-time private practice believed that they needed more training in outpatient ambulatory general anesthesia and more time rotating in internal medicine and general surgery. They stated that, in general, their preparation in activities of a professional nature was adequate but that their preparation in activities of an administrative nature was inadequate. Attendance of oral surgeons at professional meetings was not influenced by age, population of the city where their practice was located, population of trade area where their practice was located, or professional income. The majority of oral surgeons thought that there was enough dental manpower to meet the demand for oral surgery service. Age had no significant influence on this opinion. Oral surgeons in population areas of less than 150,000 were less inclined to think there was excessive manpower in the dental specialties than those in population areas of more than 150,000.