Patient's perceptions of the scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine a measure of selected patients' perceptions of the scope of services provided by the oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Data were collected from 403 patients by a questionnaire and were combined with data from the participating patients' charts. Analysis and interpretation of the data disclosed two trends: patients perceived that problems of odontogenic origin should be treated by dentists or oral surgeons, and patients perceived that problems of nonodontogenic origin should be treated by medical professionals rather than by oral and maxillofacial surgeons. If these patients are representative of the general population, then these trends strongly suggest a need for greater public and professional dental educational opportunities about the scope of services rendered by the oral and maxillofacial surgeon. It is recommended that dental societies and dental schools assume the lead in offering these opportunities.