Iran OMFS Board Exam key terms

Flushing and sweating of the cheek during eating, caused by misdirected parasympathetic fibers from the auriculotemporal nerve reinnervating sweat glands after parotid surgery or trauma. Often managed with botulinum toxin or tympanic neurectomy.

Branch of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve that carries secretomotor parasympathetic fibers to the parotid gland and sensation from the temple, external ear, and temporomandibular joint region.

Surgical removal of part or all of the parotid gland, most often for neoplasm. Superficial or partial techniques preserve the facial nerve; complications include facial weakness, Frey syndrome, salivary fistula, and great auricular nerve numbness.

Cranial nerve VII, supplying the muscles of facial expression. Its extratemporal trunk divides into temporal, zygomatic, buccal, marginal mandibular, and cervical branches within the parotid gland, making it the key structure to preserve in parotid and ramus surgery.

A collection of saliva in soft tissue caused by ductal or glandular injury, presenting as a fluctuant swelling that may drain through the skin as a salivary fistula. Managed by drainage, pressure dressing, antisialagogues, botulinum toxin, or surgical repair.

Exposed irradiated bone that fails to heal for more than three months without recurrent tumor, resulting from radiation-induced hypovascularity, hypocellularity, and hypoxia. Risk rises above 60 Gy and with post-radiation extraction; management ranges from conservative care to resection and free flap.

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: exposed bone or bone probed through a fistula persisting over eight weeks in a patient on antiresorptives or antiangiogenics, with no head and neck radiation history. Staging guides conservative versus surgical treatment.

Drug class that inhibits osteoclast function and is used for osteoporosis, malignancy-related hypercalcemia, and skeletal metastases. Intravenous potent agents such as zoledronate carry the highest MRONJ risk, especially after dentoalveolar surgery.

Temporary interruption of an antiresorptive or antiangiogenic medication before dental surgery, intended to reduce MRONJ risk. Evidence for benefit is limited; decisions should involve the prescribing physician and consider the underlying disease and drug half-life.

Inhalation of 100% oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure to raise tissue oxygen tension, promote angiogenesis, and support wound healing. Adjunctive uses include osteoradionecrosis, compromised flaps, and selected refractory osteomyelitis; evidence for routine MRONJ use is weak.

Infection and inflammation of bone and marrow, in the jaws usually following odontogenic infection, fracture, or surgery. Chronic mandibular cases show mixed flora, sclerosis, and sequestra; treatment combines culture-directed antibiotics, debridement, and sometimes resection.

A fragment of devitalized bone separated from surrounding vital bone by infection, ischemia, or radiation. It appears radiolucent-rimmed on imaging and must be removed for chronic osteomyelitis or osteoradionecrosis to resolve.

Rapidly spreading bilateral cellulitis of the submandibular, sublingual, and submental spaces, usually odontogenic, threatening the airway. Management prioritizes airway control, urgent incision and drainage when fluctuant, and intravenous antibiotics covering oral anaerobes and streptococci.

Fascial space bounded by the mandible, hyoid, and mylohyoid muscle, containing the submandibular gland and lymph nodes. It communicates with the sublingual and submental spaces, so infection there can spread bilaterally and obstruct the airway.

Assessment and securing of ventilation in maxillofacial emergencies, using positioning, suction, nasal or oral airways, bag-mask ventilation, supraglottic devices, awake fiberoptic intubation, or surgical airway when edema or distortion prevents conventional laryngoscopy.

Placement of a tracheal tube over a flexible endoscope while the patient breathes spontaneously under topical anesthesia and light sedation. Preferred when mouth opening is limited or the airway is distorted by infection, trauma, or tumor.

Clinical situation in which a trained practitioner has difficulty with mask ventilation, laryngoscopy, supraglottic device placement, or intubation. Maxillofacial predictors include limited opening, restricted neck extension, obesity, and distorted anatomy; a preformed plan is mandatory.

Horizontal osteotomy separating the maxilla from the midface above the apices, used to reposition the maxilla in three dimensions for orthognathic correction. Fixation is usually with miniplates; complications include hemorrhage, nerve injury, and relapse.

Mandibular ramus osteotomy splitting the bone sagittally to allow advancement, setback, or rotation of the tooth-bearing segment. The inferior alveolar nerve lies between the split segments, making temporary or permanent neurosensory disturbance the most common complication.

Surgical correction of dentofacial skeletal discrepancies, usually combined with orthodontics, to improve occlusion, function, and facial esthetics. Planning uses cephalometric prediction, model surgery or virtual planning, and splint-guided positioning.

Branch of the mandibular nerve entering the mandibular foramen and running within the canal to supply sensation to the lower teeth, lip, and chin. Its position determines risk in third molar surgery, sagittal split osteotomy, and implant placement.

Branch of the posterior trunk of the mandibular nerve carrying sensation from the anterior tongue and floor of mouth. It lies close to the lingual cortex in the third molar region and is at risk during retraction or lingual split techniques.

Removal of mandibular or maxillary wisdom teeth, often requiring bone removal and sectioning. Key risks are inferior alveolar and lingual nerve injury, root displacement, bleeding, dry socket, and mandibular fracture; difficulty is predicted by depth, angulation, and root morphology.

Alveolar osteitis: severe throbbing pain from three to five days after extraction caused by loss of the blood clot, with an empty or necrotic socket. Managed by irrigation and medicated dressing; chlorhexidine rinse and avoiding smoking reduce incidence.

Inflammation of the tooth socket wall after extraction, clinically synonymous with dry socket. It presents with pain out of proportion to findings, exposed bone, and halitosis, and heals by secondary intention once symptoms are controlled.

Overgrowth of one mandibular condyle producing progressive facial asymmetry, deviated opening, and crossbite. Active growth is assessed by serial imaging or bone scan; treatment is high condylectomy during active disease or orthognathic correction after growth ceases.

Radiographic assessment of the joint by panoramic, cone-beam CT, MRI, or bone scan. MRI best shows disc position and effusion, CT shows bony changes, and scintigraphy detects active condylar growth in hyperplasia.

A group of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions causing jaw pain, limited or deviated opening, joint sounds, and headache. First-line care is conservative: education, self-management, physical therapy, occlusal appliance, and analgesics; surgery is reserved for specific pathology.

Paroxysmal, electric shock-like unilateral facial pain in a trigeminal division, triggered by touch, chewing, or cold, with pain-free intervals. First-line treatment is carbamazepine; refractory cases may need microvascular decompression or radiofrequency ablation.

Antiepileptic drug and first-line therapy for trigeminal neuralgia, reducing paroxysmal pain by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels. Adverse effects include dizziness, hyponatremia, agranulocytosis, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome; HLA-B*1502 screening is advised in some populations.

AAOMS classification of MRONJ from stage 0 (nonspecific symptoms, no exposed bone) through stage 1 (exposed bone, no infection), stage 2 (exposed bone with infection), to stage 3 (extensive bone, fistula, or pathologic fracture).

Transfer of composite tissue with its vascular pedicle divided and reanastomosed to recipient vessels. Common in maxillofacial reconstruction are fibula, radial forearm, scapula, and anterolateral thigh flaps, chosen by defect composition and pedicle length.

Vascularized fibular segment used to reconstruct mandibular or maxillary defects, prized for length, reliable periosteal blood supply, and suitability for dental implants. Donor-site morbidity includes ankle instability and peroneal nerve injury.

Direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a load-bearing implant without intervening soft tissue. Success depends on primary stability, adequate bone volume, controlled heat, and uneventful healing.

Technique using a barrier membrane to exclude soft tissue and allow bone-forming cells to repopulate a defect around implants. Requires space maintenance, stability, and adequate blood supply; particulate graft and membrane are typically combined.

Congenital failure of fusion of facial processes producing a lip defect, palatal defect, or both, with feeding, speech, hearing, and dental consequences. Repair follows timing protocols: lip around three to six months, palate around nine to eighteen months.

Bone grafting of the cleft alveolar defect, usually with iliac crest cancellous bone before canine eruption, to close oronasal fistula, support the tooth, and enable implant placement. Success is judged by bone height and eruption of the adjacent canine.

Inadequate closure of the velopharyngeal port during speech, causing hypernasality and nasal air escape after cleft palate repair. Assessment uses perceptual speech evaluation, nasendoscopy, and videofluoroscopy; management may be speech therapy or pharyngeal flap surgery.

An abnormal opening between the oral cavity and maxillary sinus, usually after extraction of a maxillary posterior tooth. Small defects may heal spontaneously; larger ones need primary closure, and persistent epithelialized defects become oroantral fistulas.

Three-dimensional imaging using a cone-shaped x-ray beam, giving high-resolution bone detail at lower dose and cost than medical CT. Used for implant planning, impacted teeth, fractures, and endodontic or surgical anatomy assessment.

Clinical decision-making that integrates the best available research evidence, clinician expertise, and patient values and preferences. It involves formulating a focused question, searching, appraising validity and applicability, and applying the findings.

Experimental study in which participants are randomly allocated to interventions, minimizing selection bias and supporting causal inference. Quality depends on allocation concealment, blinding, intention-to-treat analysis, and completeness of follow-up.

Structured, protocol-driven synthesis of all relevant studies on a question, with explicit search, selection, quality appraisal, and often meta-analysis. It sits at the top of the evidence hierarchy when methods are rigorous and heterogeneity is addressed.

The reciprocal of the absolute risk reduction, expressing how many patients must receive an intervention for one additional favorable outcome. Lower values indicate greater clinical benefit and help compare treatment efficiency.

Patient authorization for treatment after disclosure of diagnosis, proposed procedure, material risks, alternatives including no treatment, and likely consequences. It requires capacity, voluntariness, and documentation; exceptions include emergency and therapeutic privilege.

Failure to meet the standard of care expected of a reasonably competent practitioner, causing harm. A claim requires duty, breach, causation, and damages; documentation and expert testimony are central to defense.

The professional and legal duty to protect patient health information from unauthorized disclosure. Breach may be justified by law, public safety, or consent; secure records and minimum necessary disclosure are core safeguards.