The field of oral and maxillofacial surgery has greatly evolved during the last five decades. In The Netherlands, oral medicine is covered by the specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Related to the increase in the ageing of the population, it is expected that both the dentist and the family dentist will more and more faced by patients with less usual oral disorders, either as a sign of a local disease or as a sign of a general (systemic) disease. Regarding research, there is a trend of a shift from therapeutic towards innovative research. Therapeutic research is mainly aimed at treating symptoms, whereas innovative research tries to increase insight in development of a disorder or to prevent the development of that disorder or to reduce its progression.