Oral Maxillofacial Surg Clin N Am 19 (2007) xi

Preface

Vincent J. Perciaccante, DDS Guest Editor

When Richard Haug presented to me the opportunity to be a Guest Editor for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America, he gave me latitude in the topics that the volume would cover. My initial considerations went to orthognathic surgery, facial aesthetic surgery, and trauma, because these are my three biggest areas of interest. As part of the decision-making process, I reviewed the topics that were covered in the Clinics in the past and their timing to determine what would be the most pertinent and useful. The more I thought about it, I came to the realization that a topic that deserved attentiondone that is most pertinent to all oral and maxillofacial surgeonsdand is a part of our specialty that I enjoy is the management of impacted teeth. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are involved with the management of impacted teeth nearly every working day during their career. With the ongoing third molar studies supported by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation, more evidence-based information is coming to light on this topic, which will have an impact on our decisions and practices. If we neglect to continue in the trend of systematic evaluation of this subject, we risk trivializing one

of the most commonly performed surgical procedures. Continued research and reinforcement of its value in practice and teaching are important for the care of our patients. I was extremely pleased by the interest and willingness of the contributors to write on this subject. We have tried to cover the topic from all aspects: the decision to treat, techniques, interventions, and therapeutics, avoidance and management of complications, and management of risk. I have truly enjoyed the experience of participating in the process of publishing this work, and I hope you nd this issue useful. I would like to thank my wife, Amy, and my family for their continued support in my career, and my mentors, Bob Bays, Tom Dodson, Sam Farish, and Steve Roser, for their guidance.

Vincent J. Perciaccante, DDS Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Emory University School of Medicine 1365-B Clifton Road NE Suite 2300-B Atlanta, GA 30322 E-mail address: vpercia@emory.edu

1042-3699/07/$ - see front matter 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.coms.2006.11.011

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