Recognition of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons by Dental Professionals and Their Perceptions Regarding Cosmetic Facial Surgery-A Questionnaire-Based Study.

[PURPOSE] The versatility of facial cosmetic surgery as a specialty has often been underestimated owing to the lack of knowledge and limited perception in our society. The present questionnaire-based study was performed to evaluate the attitude, knowledge, and perception of dentists regarding cosmetic facial surgery.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] We devised a well-structured questionnaire study in which 3 population groups of subjects included 420 interns, 133 BDS graduates, and 564 MDS graduates of various specialties from various colleges in Mangalore City. Closed-ended questions were formatted to evaluate the knowledge regarding specific facial cosmetic procedures. The subjects were asked to match 5 different specialists with 10 conditions or procedures. To investigate whether the subjects had an understanding of the multidisciplinary characteristic of some of the procedures, they were also asked to choose the specialty surgeon who might have an additional role. The subjects were asked whether they were aware of any relative who had undergone a cosmetic facial procedure and whether they regarded the surgical result as acceptable. Furthermore, they were asked whether they would contemplate referring patients for cosmetic surgery for any facial malformation. The institutional review board granted exemption for our study.

[RESULTS] The results revealed that 94.9% of the professionals were ready to refer their patients for cosmetic facial surgery if required, and most had found the results satisfactory. Most of the dental professionals had knowledge regarding the various cosmetic facial procedures. However, they were not up to date regarding the magnitude of the progress and recent developments in the various specialties and were not able to refer their patients to the most appropriate specialist.

[CONCLUSIONS] It is essential to create awareness among dental professionals regarding the scope of cosmetic facial surgery and the range of cosmetic procedures that an oral and maxillofacial surgeon can perform.