OMS Foundation funds OMFS technical skills exam

Assistant professor Marco Caminiti, graduate specialty program director in oral and maxillofacial surgery, has been awarded a $75,000 research support grant from the US-based Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation. The funds will help the team develop bench-top, high fidelity models for the Oral and Maxillofacial Objective structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OMOSATS), a surgical competency exam for OMFS residents, piloted by Caminiti and his collaborators.

“This is an exciting development that shows us we’re on the right path,” said Caminiti. 

The pilot exam took place in early autumn of 2018, the results of which were presented at the Spring 2019 Canadian Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and at the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in October, with research student and exam co-creator, Victoria Driesman. 

A second, larger OMOSAT, piloted in November of this year, saw residents from as far away as Western, McGill and Laval tested alongside U of T’s OMFS residents. Faculty members from across the country attended as examiners, who offered positive feedback on the exam and its outcomes.

“Competency is integral to our specialty,” Caminiti continued, “and I think the Faculty of Dentistry can be on the leading edge of ensuring that our graduates are impeccable in this regard.”  

The next iteration of the exam, to be held with OMFS residents from the U.S., will take place in November 2020. 

Photo: courtesy Marco Caminiti