Looking back on fifty years of oral and maxillofacial surgery training in Quebec, it’s impossible not to appreciate the foundations that brought us here. In May 2024, we had the opportunity to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the McGill University OMFS graduate training program, a meaningful milestone that brought together many generations to reflect on a remarkable journey. This June 2025, our colleagues at Université Laval will celebrate their own fiftieth anniversary, another proud moment for our specialty in the province.
These milestones are more than isolated celebrations; they reflect a broader evolution in OMFS. Fifty years ago, training programs focused primarily on dental extractions, minor surgery, and early trauma management. Over time, they grew to embrace the full complexity of the specialty: advanced orthognathic surgery, maxillofacial trauma, management of pathology, reconstructive surgery, implantology, craniofacial care, and oncology. Patient care models evolved toward a multidisciplinary approach, with OMFS surgeons collaborating alongside specialists in otolaryngology, plastic surgery, oncology, and craniofacial prosthodontics.
The strength of our specialty today stands on the shoulders of visionary educators and leaders. At McGill, individuals such as Dr. Kenneth C. Bentley, Dr. Eric P. Millar, and the late Dr. Timothy W. Head built a culture of mentorship and excellence that still defines the program. At Université Laval, Dr. André Charest and Dr. Guy Maranda laid the foundations of their program in the early 1970s, inspired by international surgical training models and a firm belief in combining dental, medical, and surgical education.
I feel deeply privileged to have known and interacted with many of the individuals who shaped these programs. Their guidance, often delivered with humility and quiet strength, left a lasting impact that continues to ripple outward through generations of surgeons.
At Université Laval, the contributions of leaders such as Dr. Pierre-Éric Landry were equally pivotal. Dr. Landry’s commitment to education, clinical excellence, and specialty advancement helped shape not only the Laval program but also strengthened the standing of our specialty across Canada. His legacy as a teacher, mentor, and builder is widely recognized and celebrated.
At McGill, the program is uniquely distinguished by its provision of full-scope maxillofacial oncologic surgical care and training, making it the only OMFS program in Canada to offer this level of specialty exposure. This has translated into real clinical advantages for patients receiving advanced, multidisciplinary oncologic care while also providing trainees with exceptional hands-on experience in complex head and neck surgery.
The Université Laval program, centered at the Level 1 trauma centre of l’Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus, has long served a vast and geographically dispersed region of Quebec. Its commitment to managing maxillofacial trauma has positioned it as an essential resource for a large part of the province. Notably, the Laval program was an early adopter of incorporating a full medical degree into its training path, enabling OMFS residents to pursue academic medical degrees as part of their surgical formation.
Today, both programs offer integrated dual-degree training and have been instrumental in setting national standards for OMFS education. Over the decades, their graduates have gone on to practice across Canada, serving not only as clinicians but also as educators, leaders, and innovators in the specialty. Their impact across our country, alongside the important work of other Canadian training programs, reflects the shared vision and dedication that has shaped our specialty over the past fifty years.
As we mark these anniversaries, it is natural to look back with gratitude. More importantly, we recognize that the strength, spirit, and mentorship that built our programs continues to guide us today. The story of OMFS in Quebec, shaped by visionaries, nurtured by mentors, and carried forward by generations of surgeons, is still being written by the current leaders, faculty, and residents who uphold these traditions and move the specialty forward. Its best chapters are yet to come. 
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About the author
Dr. Antoine Chehade is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon based in Montreal, Quebec. He is a founding partner of Seaforth Oral Surgery Associates and has been dedicated to advancing surgical care and education throughout his career. From 1998 to 2014, he served as Chief of the Department of Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the McGill University Health Centre. He continues to be actively involved in teaching and clinical care as a member of the part-time attending staff in the McGill OMFS graduate program at the MUHC (Montreal General Hospital). Dr. Chehade is a Past President of the Canadian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (CAOMS).
