After completion of an oral surgery residency (training) program, an oral surgeon must successfully undergo a two year process in order become board certified. An 8 hour, written qualifying exam is taken, followed the next year by an oral certifying examination. Only oral surgeons who pass both exams are considered Board certified.
In addition, board certified oral surgeons are required to take continued education courses, be on-staff at their local hospital, and undergo an in-office anesthesia evaluation. In this way, you can by assured that the oral surgeon you are seeing has met the highest standard for knowledge, diagnosis, decision-making, surgical prowess, ethics and safety. Doctor Goulston is a board certified oral surgeon.