Resumen

CARTES-VELASQUEZ, Ricardo  y  RAMIREZ SKINNER, Hernán. Dual-Degree Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Int. J. Odontostomat. [online]. 2011, vol.5, n.2, pp. 191-198. ISSN 0718-381X.  doi: 10.4067/S0718-381X2011000200013.

Oral and maxillofacial disease profile is treated by overlapping medical and surgical specialties, most of them without the high-level stomatological training of a surgeon dentist. Of these specialties, oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) is the only one that requires medical, dental and surgical training, which currently is achieved by 3 main routes. To date, the debate continues about which of them is the ideal, although in Latin America the only way to become an OMS specialist is the odontological. A critical review of international literature in OMS journals and guidelines of international societies, focusing on the bioethical topics, clinical competences, educational, legal and social aspects were made. Dual-degree is advantageous to the WHO practice because of the following aspects: clinical scope (oncological and reconstructive surgery), access to fellowships and scientific-professionals societies, knowledge/evidence generation, surgical prerogatives, legal support and social acknowledgement. From a bioethical perspective, single-degree specialists dealing with maxillofacial pathology may exceed their competences, due to a lack of adequate medical or dental training. The dual-degree specialist seems to be the one, from a comprehensive perspective of the patient, has the knowledge and skills to fully meet the community's rights to healthcare and contribute to specialized development. Unfortunately, Latin America has no dual-degree training programs and none of Chilean single-degrees fullfil the IAOMS guidelines. This review exposes the need to develop a dual-degree program in Chile to achieve a comprehensive approach in the patient with maxillofacial pathology; consistent with the social, cultural, economic and educational reality of the country.

Palabras clave : surgery; maxillofacial; dual-degree; review; Chile.