A duly qualified Oral and Maxillo-facial Surgeon can perform aesthetic surgical procedures in the cranio-maxillo facial region : Dental Council of India.

A complaint was issued to the Registrar, Kerala State Dental Council questioning about the current scope of practice of Oral and Maxillo-facial Surgery. It also stated that no dental graduate or postgraduate training curriculum includes certain facial aesthetic procedures.

In a meeting held by the Sub-Committee of DCI, it was concluded that Oral and Maxillo-facial Surgeon can perform these aesthetic surgical procedures.

As per DCI regulations, the specialty of Oral and Maxillo-facial Surgery deals with diagnosis and management of the diseases of stomatognathic system, jaw bones, cranio-maxillofacial region, salivary glands and temporomandibular joints etc as per its defination. Management also includes application of laser technology in surgical treatment of amenable lesions.

Since the OMFS curriculum includes detailed knowledge of structures of face and neck including skin and underlying soft tissues, they can efficiently perform diagnosis and treatment planning of deformities and conditions affecting facial skin, underlying facial muscles, bone, eyelids external ear etc. They can also perform post acne scaring face lift, blepharoplasty, otoplasty and facial bones re-contouring etc.

This report was also approved by the executive committee of Dental Council of India thus giving green flag to all maxillofacial surgeons for performing facial aesthetic surgeries.