# Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

US SOC code 29-1022. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-1022

Also called: Oral surgeon, OMS, OMFS, Maxillofacial surgeon, Oral and maxillofacial surgery.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **4,910** US oral and maxillofacial surgeons, with median pay of **$352,220** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **5,330**, in May 2021. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278239109003486) of **5,188** from 1991, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for oral and maxillofacial surgeons: Cone beam CT + digital planning software, 1998 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1022&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **0.0036** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.0036. BLS counted **5,280** of these jobs in May 2013 and **4,910** in May 2025. The count moved sharply in one step, May 2020 to May 2021, when BLS changed how it estimates these counts, so no change is derived here.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1849
- Latest US employment: 4,910 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [2]
- Latest US median pay: $352,220 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +5.6% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [16]

### All 25 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1975 | n/a | $61,300 (estimate) | Est., PMC4192917 [3] |
| 1991 | 5,188 (estimate) | n/a | Est., J Oral Maxillofac Surg [1] |
| 2000 | n/a | $310,000 (estimate) | Est., ADA Survey of Dental Practice [4] |
| 2004 | 4,950 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2004 [2] |
| 2005 | 5,120 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2005 [2] |
| 2006 | 5,320 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2006 [2] |
| 2007 | 5,040 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2007 [2] |
| 2008 | 4,760 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2008 [2] |
| 2009 | 5,390 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2009 [2] |
| 2010 | 5,330 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2010 [2] |
| 2011 | 5,800 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2011 [2] |
| 2012 | 4,990 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2012 [2] |
| 2013 | 5,280 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2013 [2] |
| 2014 | 5,120 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2014 [2] |
| 2015 | 5,000 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2015 [2] |
| 2016 | 5,380 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2016 [2] |
| 2017 | 4,800 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2017 [2] |
| 2018 | 4,830 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2018 [2] |
| 2019 | 4,650 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2019 [2] |
| 2020 | 4,120 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2020 [2] |
| 2021 | 5,330 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2021 [2] |
| 2022 | 4,290 | $445,120 (estimate) | BLS OEWS May 2022 (employment) [2]; Est., ADA Health Policy Institute / Statista (pay) [5] |
| 2023 | 4,160 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2023 [2] |
| 2024 | 5,330 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2024 [2] |
| 2025 | 4,910 | $352,220 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [2] |

## Sources (62)

### Employment series

1. [J Oral Maxillofac Surg — "Update on the Distribution of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 1995 to 2006" (cites 1991 ADA base count of 5,188)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278239109003486), Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery / American Dental Association
2. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

3. [PMC4192917 — "Physician incomes and work patterns across specialties: 1975 and 1983-84" (general surgeon median $61,300 in 1975 as era proxy)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4192917/), PMC / National Center for Health Statistics
4. [ADA Survey of Dental Practice — oral and maxillofacial surgeon median net income, 2000 (cited in Becker's Dental Review historical OMS income series)](https://www.beckersdental.com/benchmarking/median-net-income-for-oral-and-maxillofacial-surgeons-since-2000/), American Dental Association / Becker's Dental Review
5. [ADA Health Policy Institute / Statista — private oral and maxillofacial surgeon median net income $445,120 (2022)](https://www.statista.com/statistics/756783/oral-and-maxillofacial-surgeons-median-annual-net-income-in-us/), American Dental Association Health Policy Institute
6. [BLS OEWS May 2025, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

7. [Simon Hullihen Wikipedia — MD/DDS pioneer; first orthognathic surgery 1849; performed 1,100 jaw operations; founded Wheeling Hospital with first US hospital-based dental clinic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Hullihen), Wikipedia
8. [Frontiers of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine — "History of innovations in oral and maxillofacial surgery" (ether demonstration by Morton 1846; Hullihen era; Garretson text 1869)](https://fomm.amegroups.org/article/view/54627/html), Frontiers of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine
9. [AAOMS History — founded 1918 as American Society of Exodontists; 29 charter members; recognition from National Dental Association 1919](https://aaoms.org/about/who-we-are/history/), American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
10. [PubMed 36224077 — "OMS Training in the United States: Influences of Dental and Medical Education, Wartime Experiences" (3-year to 4-year integrated programs; dual degree paradigm began 1970s)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36224077/), PubMed / Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
11. [J Oral Maxillofac Surg — "Update on the Distribution of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 1995 to 2006" (active OMS count grew 5,188 to 6,088 from 1991 to 2006)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278239109003486), Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
12. [Korean J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2025 (PMC12223443) — "The new face of OMFS: AI expanding role" (CBCT as foundational imaging modality for AI-assisted planning; early neural network study 1996; FDA clearance trajectory)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12223443/), Korean Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
13. [PMC 2024 (PMC11554385) — "Accuracy of 3D Virtual Surgical Planning vs. Traditional 2D in Orthognathic Surgery" (CBCT-derived 3D models; planning time reduction from 6-8 hrs to 15-20 min; Lin concordance \>0.95)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11554385/), PMC / Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
14. [Journal of Clinical Medicine 2026 (PMC12841934) — "AI in OMFS: Integrating Clinical Innovation and Workflow Optimization": \>90% accuracy for cysts/tumors/lesions; planning time -40%; documentation saves 10-15 min/patient](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12841934/), Journal of Clinical Medicine
15. [Pearl — "Pearl Becomes First Dental AI Company Cleared by FDA for Both 2D and 3D Imaging" (May 2025: Second Opinion 3D FDA clearance for full CBCT anatomy segmentation)](https://hellopearl.com/news/pearl-becomes-first-dental-ai-company-cleared-by-fda-for-both-2d-and-3d-imaging), Pearl

### Forecasts and exposure studies

16. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-1022 Oral and maxillofacial surgeons (2025: 5.6 thousand; 2035: 5.9 thousand; +5.6%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-1022&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
17. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 29-1022 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: probability 0.0036, rank 9 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

### Historical notes

18. [Simon Hullihen Wikipedia — world's first orthognathic surgery paper 1849; performed 1,100 jaw operations; founded Wheeling Hospital with first US hospital-based dental clinic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Hullihen), Wikipedia
19. [Pocket Dentistry — "The History of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery": Garretson named the specialty through his book "A System of Oral Surgery"; recognized as father of oral surgery in the US](https://pocketdentistry.com/the-history-of-oral-and-maxillofacial-surgery/), Pocket Dentistry
20. [AAOMS History — founded August 6, 1918 by 29 dentists; American Society of Exodontists; WWI maxillofacial trauma as founding catalyst; Kazanjian and Ivy contributions](https://aaoms.org/about/who-we-are/history/), American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
21. [Frontiers of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine — "History of innovations in oral and maxillofacial surgery": Branemark placed first titanium implant 1965; osseointegration commercial adoption 1980s](https://fomm.amegroups.org/article/view/54627/html), Frontiers of Oral and Maxillofacial Medicine
22. [AAOMS History and Wikipedia AAOMS — 1978 name change to American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; dual AAOMS and ABOMS name change reflecting expanded scope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Association_of_Oral_and_Maxillofacial_Surgeons), Wikipedia / AAOMS
23. [Pearl — "Pearl Becomes First Dental AI Company Cleared by FDA for Both 2D and 3D Imaging" (May 2025): Second Opinion 3D FDA 510(k) clearance; first dental AI cleared for CBCT anatomical segmentation](https://hellopearl.com/news/pearl-becomes-first-dental-ai-company-cleared-by-fda-for-both-2d-and-3d-imaging), Pearl

### Predecessors & successors

24. [Simon Hullihen Wikipedia — MD from Washington Medical College + honorary DDS; performed 1,100 jaw operations before modern anesthesia; first oral surgeon in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Hullihen), Wikipedia
25. [PubMed 36224077 — OMS training in the US: 19th century apprenticeships with established surgeons were the norm; 20th century evolved to integrated hospital programs](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36224077/), PubMed / JOMS
26. [AAOMS History — founded 1918 by dental surgeons who treated facial trauma in WWI; formation precipitated by battlefield maxillofacial injury management needs](https://aaoms.org/about/who-we-are/history/), AAOMS

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (29-1022.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, employment data, work context](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1022.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OES May 2025 — Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: mean annual wage $267,200; ~6,100 wage-and-salary employed; +3-4% projected growth 2024-2034](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes291022.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Journal of Clinical Medicine 2026 — "AI in OMFS: Integrating Clinical Innovation and Workflow Optimization" (PMC12841934): \>90% accuracy for cysts/tumors/lesions; planning time -40%; documentation saves 10-15 min/patient; no-shows -50% with AI](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12841934/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Korean J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2025 — "The new face of OMFS: AI's expanding role" (PMC12223443): FDA clearance 2023 for patient-specific surgical guide AI; deep learning detects jaw tumors at specialist accuracy; only a few AI tools have FDA clearance as of 2025](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12223443/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC 2024 — "Accuracy of 3D Virtual Surgical Planning vs. Traditional 2D in Orthognathic Surgery" (PMC11554385): VSP reduces planning from 6-8 hrs to 15-20 min; Lin concordance \>0.95 vs. post-op 3D models; in-house 3D printing achieves \<1 mm / 1 degree accuracy](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11554385/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Pearl — "Pearl Becomes First Dental AI Company Cleared by FDA for Both 2D and 3D Imaging" (May 2025): Second Opinion 3D FDA-cleared for CBCT anatomical segmentation including IAN, maxillary sinus, airway, and maxillofacial anatomy](https://hellopearl.com/news/pearl-becomes-first-dental-ai-company-cleared-by-fda-for-both-2d-and-3d-imaging), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Diagnocat AI — CBCT segmentation for implant planning, third molar assessment, and maxillofacial anatomy; 5-minute report generation; voxel-perfect segmentations of mandibular canals, maxillary sinuses; FDA-registered; 3,500+ practices globally](https://diagnocat.com/en), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Materialise ProPlan CMF / Mimics Enlight CMF — virtual surgical planning for orthognathic and CMF surgery; AI-assisted soft tissue simulation up to 96% predictive accuracy and sub-millimeter error; CBCT-to-surgical-guide CAD/CAM workflow](https://www.materialise.com/en/healthcare/proplan-cmf), accessed 2026-05-24
- [KLS Martin IPS CaseDesigner — algorithm-driven virtual surgical planning for orthognathic/CMF surgery; real-time soft tissue simulation; cephalometric analysis; output used for surgical guide and patient-specific implant design](https://www.klsmartin.com/en/products/individual-patient-solutions-cmf/ips-casedesigner/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC 2025 — "Robotic Assist and Virtual Surgical Planning in Orthognathic Surgery" (PMC12107310): VSP and robotic assistance redefining standards; better outcome prediction; real-time intraoperative adjustment capability](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12107310/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PubMed 2025 — Deep learning for jaw cystic lesion and maxillofacial tumor detection: AI sensitivity \>90% vs. normal tissues; supports surgical planning through automated lesion delineation](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41401467/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [AAOMS — American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: OMS scope of practice; board certification (ABOMS) requirements; independent general anesthesia authority unique to OMS among dental specialists](https://aaoms.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Nuance DAX Copilot — ambient AI clinical documentation; listens to patient encounters; generates structured notes in Epic and Cerner; designed for hospital-based surgical specialties; Microsoft/Nuance 2025](https://www.nuance.com/healthcare/ambient-clinical-intelligence.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Pearl — Second Opinion 3D: FDA-cleared (May 2025) for CBCT anatomical segmentation including IAN, maxillary sinus, airway; identifies lesions and asymmetries warranting referral; first dental AI cleared for both 2D and 3D imaging](https://hellopearl.com/products/second-opinion-3d), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.