Prometric Exam for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: OMFS and Oral Surgery Specialist & Consultant Licence for DHA, MOHAP, DOH, SCFHS & QCHP — Three Papers, Blueprint, Pass Marks, MDS Recognition and Salaries (2026)
There are three papers — Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Specialist Oral Surgery and Consultant Oral Surgery — and choosing the wrong one costs a fee and months. This guide explains which title fits an MDS, FCPS or FDSRCS, the official blueprint areas, the local anaesthesia, trauma and infection questions that repeat, hospital privileges, and salaries.
Road traffic facial trauma, a large implant market and busy wisdom-tooth lists keep oral and maxillofacial surgeons in demand in both hospitals and private dental groups across the Gulf. The first decision is which of three papers you should be sitting.
Three papers
| Exam (code) | Questions | Time | Pass mark | Correct answers needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS5351) | 150 | 3 h | 60% | 90 |
| Specialist Oral Surgery (ORS5941) | 150 | 3 h | 60% | 90 |
| Consultant Oral Surgery (COR6082) | 100 | 3 h | 70% | 70 |
All three share one reference list: Hupp's Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Fonseca (including the trauma volumes), Ward-Booth's Maxillofacial Surgery, Malamed's Handbook of Local Anesthesia and Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office, and Harrison's for the medicine.
Oral surgery or oral and maxillofacial surgery?
- Oral Surgery is the dentoalveolar title: impactions, implants, pre-prosthetic surgery, cysts, biopsies, minor trauma — mostly clinic-based, under local anaesthesia or sedation.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the hospital title: facial fractures, orthognathic surgery, TMJ, clefts, reconstruction, deep neck infections, general anaesthesia lists and on-call cover.
The assessor decides from the wording of your degree and your logbook. A three-year MDS in oral and maxillofacial surgery, FCPS or FDSRCS with completed training generally leads to the OMFS title; shorter or clinic-based training may be classified as Oral Surgery. General dentists who extract wisdom teeth remain General Dentists (GEN5301). The other dental specialties are in the specialist dentist guide; run the eligibility check before you pay.
The blueprint areas
- Anaesthesia and pain management — local anaesthetic pharmacology and maximum doses, nerve block anatomy and failures, sedation levels, complications
- Maxillofacial trauma — mandibular fracture patterns and fixation, Le Fort levels, zygomatic and orbital fractures, airway first, dentoalveolar injuries
- Dentoalveolar and pre-prosthetic surgery — impaction classification, nerve and sinus risk, dry socket, oro-antral communication, ridge preparation
- Implant surgery — planning, bone grafting, sinus lift, failure and peri-implantitis
- Temporomandibular joint — internal derangement, dislocation, ankylosis (OMFS paper)
- Craniofacial surgery, cleft lip and palate — repair timing and sequence
- Deformities and orthognathic surgery — osteotomy selection and complications
- Maxillofacial infections — fascial spaces, Ludwig's angina, osteomyelitis, antibiotic choice
- Medicine and the medically compromised patient — anticoagulants, bisphosphonates and jaw necrosis, diabetes, endocarditis prophylaxis, radiotherapy
- Maxillofacial pathology — cysts, odontogenic tumours, premalignant lesions, oral cancer (Oral Surgery papers)
- Reconstruction and cosmetic surgery — flaps and grafts (OMFS paper)
- Patient safety and professionalism and ethics
What repeats
- Local anaesthetic arithmetic — maximum dose for the patient's weight, with and without vasoconstrictor.
- Fascial space infections — which tooth, which space, which one threatens the airway.
- The patient on warfarin, a DOAC or a bisphosphonate who needs an extraction.
- Fracture classification and the fixation principle for each site.
- Medical emergencies in the chair — syncope, anaphylaxis, hypoglycaemia, angina: drug and dose.
- Cyst and tumour radiology described in words.
- Nerve injury — inferior alveolar and lingual nerve risk and management.
Privileges
Hospital OMFS posts require credentialing for general anaesthesia lists and trauma on-call, on a signed logbook of the last two to three years. Dentally qualified surgeons without a medical degree are licensed and employed throughout the Gulf; head and neck oncology with free-flap reconstruction is privileged only on fellowship evidence. BLS is mandatory and ACLS is expected where sedation is given.
Process
- Portal registration and title selection.
- DataFlow verification of the dental degree, the specialist qualification, registration and experience (guide, fees).
- Eligibility, booking (lead times), exam — Prometric for most authorities, Pearson VUE for DOH.
- Offer, credentialing and activation.
Salaries
Specialist oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the UAE typically earn AED 30,000–50,000 a month in hospitals and Consultants AED 50,000–85,000; private dental groups usually pay a percentage of collections, which for a busy implant surgeon can exceed the salaried figures. Saudi packages run SAR 25,000–45,000 for Specialists with housing. Compare in the salary calculator and register in the talent pool.
Eight-week plan
- Week 1: local anaesthesia, sedation and medical emergencies.
- Week 2: the medically compromised patient.
- Week 3: dentoalveolar, pre-prosthetic and implant surgery.
- Week 4: infections and pathology.
- Week 5: trauma.
- Week 6: orthognathic, TMJ, cleft and craniofacial.
- Week 7: reconstruction, ethics and patient safety.
- Week 8: two timed mocks from the question bank for your paper.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the oral and maxillofacial surgery Prometric exam?
60% for both Specialist papers, which have 150 questions in three hours, and 70% for the Consultant Oral Surgery paper, which has 100 questions in three hours.
What is the difference between the Oral Surgery and OMFS licences?
Oral Surgery covers dentoalveolar and implant work, mostly in clinics. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery covers hospital practice including facial trauma, orthognathic and reconstructive surgery. The title is decided from your degree and logbook.
Do I need a medical degree to work as a maxillofacial surgeon in the Gulf?
No. Dentally qualified surgeons with a recognised specialist qualification are licensed and employed across the region.
Can a general dentist place implants?
Implant placement by general dentists is a separate privilege that requires documented implant training; rules differ by authority.
Practice banks for this exam
Chapter-wise MCQs with written reasoning on every question, and timed mocks at the real pass mark.