Postgraduate School of Oral Surgery

The Postgraduate School of Oral Surgery is the natural continuation of the degree programme in Dental Medicine for those who wish to enhance their competencies in the field of Oral Surgery.
There are various types of oral surgery, including periodontal surgery, endodontic surgery, and implant surgery, as well as oral pathologies and related surgical treatment. Given the affinity with maxillofacial surgery, the latter will also be addressed in depth within the framework of this discipline in order to acquire knowledge that will enable a close collaboration with maxillofacial surgeons.

Common training objectives (or common core)
Students must acquire the basic academic knowledge in generalist subjects that contribute to the formation of specialists in oral surgery, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry and disciplines characterizing the clinical-diagnostic aspects of emergencies and first aid.

Core training objectives
-deepen knowledge in areas of biology and medicine relevant to physiology, histology, pathology, anatomical pathology and in the topography of the dental and maxillofacial area, in pharmacotherapy, with particular reference to oral pathologies of inflammatory, dysplastic and neoplastic nature and their interrelation with systemic diseases and treatments;
-Knowledge and applied skills in statistical and statistical-epidemiological methodologies

School-specific training objectives
-Comprehensive knowledge of diagnostics, clinical and instrumental, and basic surgical techniques;
-In-depth knowledge of indications (physical and instrumental) for surgical treatment in dentistry;
-Identification of diagnostic pathways to define the different dental pathologies of surgical interest and the various types of edentulism;
-Acquisition of specific competencies in delivering local anaesthesia, with conscious sedation and with analgosedation;
-In-depth knowledge of general anaesthesia techniques and first aid, as well as emergency management;
-Complete specific training in individual oral surgery procedures and in the treatment of dental pathologies requiring surgery and of total or partial edentulism;
-Acquisition of specific competencies in prevention and detection of oral pathologies requiring surgery, with particular reference to those pertaining to inflammation, dysplasia, neoplasia, orthodontics and preprosthetics;
-Acquire the ability to adopt a multidisciplinary approach involving oral surgery and various disciplines included in the academic field pertaining to the postgraduate school in question;
-Deepen knowledge of the local/regional and systemic implications of oral surgical treatment in patients affected by diseases involving other systems and organs, including rare illnesses

Related, additional or interdisciplinary objectives
-Deepen knowledge of pathologies linked to alterations in the dental and maxillofacial area;
-Deepen knowledge of different aspects of legal medicine, including clinical bioethics;
-Deepen knowledge of healthcare management;
-Deepen knowledge of legislative norms governing healthcare organization;
-Acquire greater proficiency in English so as to be able to understand the international literature and keep up to date;
-Acquire IT skills, particularly those of use in diagnostic data management and therapy planning

Mandatory professionalizing activities
The practical training activity of the specialists takes place in the University, Hospital and Territorial Structures of the Health Authorities, affiliated with the University.
The training of the specialist must be aimed at pursuing the educational objectives of the type of School in oral surgery and must include guided and assisted participation in all practical, clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic activities of the various branches of oral surgery. This participation must also be certified through formal attendance recording.
The professionalizing activities for the Specialization in Oral Surgery are identified in the therapies of the specific pathologies set out in the characterizing objectives.
In particular, the aforementioned objectives can be considered satisfied if the specialist, during the 3-year training course, performs, from the diagnostic phase to clinical recovery and under specific tutorial control, the following interventions:
- 200 simple and complex non-surgical extractions;
- 150 exodontic surgery procedures;
- 15 procedures for cystic jaw pathologies;
- 30 biopsies and/or removal procedures of benign and malignant neoplasms;
- 5 root surgery procedures;
- 15 orthodontic surgery procedures;
- 10 implant surgery procedures;
- 12 pre-prosthetic surgery procedures;
- 15 periodontal surgery procedures;
- 15 oral surgery procedures.

The trainee may compete for the diploma after completing the professionalizing activities.

The trainee, as part of the training course, must learn the scientific bases of the School typology in order to achieve full maturity and professional competence that includes an adequate capacity for interpreting scientific innovations and a critical knowledge that allows him to consciously manage both assistance and his own updating; in this context, participation in meetings, conferences and the production of scientific publications and periods of attendance at qualified Italian and foreign institutions useful for his/her training may be foreseen.

The type of care activity carried out by the specialist trainee, based on the degree of autonomy achieved and in any case adhering to the directives given by the tutor, is divided into:
- Tutored care activity: with the presence of the structured doctor who performs the service and entrusts part of it to the student;
- Protected care activity: the service, on the indication of the structured doctor, can be carried out by the specialist trainee provided that the structured doctor is present in the structure and is in any case able to supervise and monitor his/her work. The performance of simple outpatient activities, instrumental diagnostics and laboratory activities, carried out by the specialist trainee as part of his/her collaboration activity, takes place under the supervision of a structured doctor. The structured doctor countersigns the specialist visit/instrumental service report signed by the specialist trainee who performed the service.
- Protected care activity: while the structured medical staff must always be available for consultation and any timely intervention at the discretion of the specialist trainee doctor, the latter carries out autonomous activities, in any case adhering to the directives given by the tutor, as defined by the individual planning carried out by the School Council.