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Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

Healthcare

Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects. May diagnose problems of the oral and maxillofacial regions. May perform surgery to improve function or appearance.

ScienceAllied Health

Picture the job

Where you'd usually workAn operating theatre

  • Mostly indoors
  • On your feet for most of the day
  • Dealing with customers or the public

An illustration of a typical workplace, not a photo. The work-style notes come from US O*NET data, so read them as a guide.

In Malaysia

In Malaysia, oral & maxillofacial surgery is a dental specialty. It is one of the nine dental specialties the MOH gazettes, and most OMFS surgeons work in MOH hospital departments that handle facial trauma, jaw surgery and oral cancer. Since the Dental Act 2018, no one may practise as a dental specialist without being on the MDC Specialists' Division.

How people get into it here
SPM → Foundation/Matriculation/A-Level → Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS/DDS, 5 years) → registration with the Malaysian Dental Council → Dental Officer (including compulsory service) → recognised postgraduate specialist training in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (normally 4 years) → Dental Specialist registration → MOH gazettement if in government service.
Government post
Pegawai Pergigian Gred Pakar UG56 (SSM) / UG15 (SSPA) · starts at RM7,030 a month

Sources:hq.moh.gov.mymoh.gov.my

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post
See pay for a related career: Dentist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationPost-doctoral training

Quick answers

How do you become an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon in Malaysia?

SPM → Foundation/Matriculation/A-Level → Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS/DDS, 5 years) → registration with the Malaysian Dental Council → Dental Officer (including compulsory service) → recognised postgraduate specialist training in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (normally 4 years) → Dental Specialist registration → MOH gazettement if in government service. Registration with Malaysian Dental Council (MDC), Specialists' Division of the Dental Register (Dental Act 2018, s.34) is required to practise.

What should I study to become an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon?

Related fields of study: Science and Allied Health. SPM subjects that help most: Biology, Chemistry, Additional Science and English.

How much does an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon earn in Malaysia?

We don't yet have a Malaysian source we can cite for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon pay, so we show no figure.

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Administer general and local anesthetics.
  2. 2Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment.
  3. 3Evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future.
  4. 4Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants and to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues.
  5. 5Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth.
  6. 6Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck.
  7. 7Remove tumors and other abnormal growths of the oral and facial regions, using surgical instruments.
  8. 8Provide emergency treatment of facial injuries including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones.
  9. 9Treat problems affecting the oral mucosa, such as mouth ulcers and infections.
  10. 10Restore form and function by moving skin, bone, nerves, and other tissues from other parts of the body to reconstruct the jaws and face.
  11. 11Perform surgery on the mouth and jaws to treat conditions such as cleft lip, cleft palate, and jaw growth problems.
  12. 12Perform minor cosmetic procedures, such as chin and cheekbone enhancements.
  13. 13Perform minor facial rejuvenation procedures, including the use of Botox and laser technology.
  14. 14Treat snoring problems, using laser surgery.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • DDS
  • OMS
  • Surgeon
  • Oral Surgeon
  • Dental Surgeon
  • Maxillofacial Surgeon
  • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (OMS)

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BusinessDraws directly on Administration and Management — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Medicine and Dentistry100%

    BiologyChemistry

  • Biology88%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • English Language88%

    English

  • Customer and Personal Service86%
  • Psychology75%
  • Education and Training69%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsOften
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentAlmost never

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Evaluate and treat problems related to the temperomandibular joint (TMJ).

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points, not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023, already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

What beginner adverts asked for

We read 28 internship and fresh-graduate adverts in related fields (August 2026). A small sample from one job site, not every vacancy.

14 of 28 were internships

Allowance or pay, when stated

RM800 – RM2,000

17 of 28 adverts printed an amount: usually between RM800 and RM2,000 a month. Many print none.

Minimum CGPA asked

3.00 to 3.00

Stated in 2 adverts. Others did not state one.

Languages named

Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin

An empty line means the adverts did not say, not that employers have no requirement. Check each employer's own advert before you plan around it.

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org