University of California San Francisco
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) Postgraduate Program
UCSF’s six-year OMFS residency (MD/OMFS Certificate, PhD option) delivers rigorous surgical training across top Bay Area hospitals. Residents graduate prepared for certification by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and for successful careers in academic medicine or clinical practice.
Why choose UCSF OMFS?
The UCSF OMFS program prepares residents for leadership in surgery, research, and patient care. Program benefits include:
- Integrated pathway to MD + OMFS Certificate (optional PhD)
- High-volume, Level I trauma and tertiary care exposure (Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center, SF VA Medical Center)
- Broad surgical scope: dentoalveolar, implants, orthognathic, benign pathology, trauma, TMJ, pediatrics, sleep surgery, anesthesia
- Robust didactics: daily/weekly rounds, interdisciplinary conferences, national/regional American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery participation
- Graduates are educationally qualified for American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery board certification
Program details
Accredited by CODA, the UCSF OMFS program combines comprehensive didactic education with progressive clinical responsibility across multiple hospitals and services.
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Year 1: 1.5 mo. OMFS, 10.5 mo. Medical School
Year 2: 4.5 mo. OMFS, 7.5 mo. Medical School
Year 3: 3 mo. OMFS, 7 mo. Medical School, 2 mo. USMLE Step 1 & 2
Year 4: 7 mo. OMFS, 5 mo. Anesthesia (incl. 1 mo. Pediatric Anesthesia)
Year 5: 5 mo. OMFS, 7 mo. General Surgery (incl. 1 mo. Plastics, 1 mo. ENT)
Year 6: 12 mo. OMFS (Chief)Totals: 25 mo. Medical School; 33 mo. OMFS
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Residents are responsible for UCSF School of Medicine tuition. Need-based grants, scholarships, and financial aid are available.
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A stipend is paid only during resident service months per UCSF GME Trainee Salary Scales. Stipend does not continue during medical school months. An additional housing stipend is provided during resident service months to help offset San Francisco living costs.
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During resident service months: $300/month for cafeteria facilities, meal vending machines, and coffee shops. In addition, residents have $23/day at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and $140/month at SF VA Medical Center cafeterias/partnered venues.
How to apply
The program accepts four residents per year. Applications are reviewed jointly by the Department of OMFS and the School of Medicine.
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All applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Hold a DDS/DMD from a CODA-accredited dental school by start date
- Hold an undergraduate degree (U.S. or foreign accredited institution)
- Provide passing score on National Board Dental Examination:
- Graduates: NBDE 1&2 or INBDE due by application deadline
- Current students: may interview without exam but must upload official INBDE to PASS by Jan. 1 to be ranked
- Matched applicants (if NBDE route): NBDE Part 2 due by program start
- NBME CBSE score submitted by application deadline
- Hold a California dental license by start or within first year (matched candidates)
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Submit your application through ADEA PASS by the deadline, including: personal essay, CV, official dental school transcript, scanned undergraduate transcripts, three PASS evaluation forms, dean’s institution evaluation, and required scores.
Register with the Postdoctoral Dental Matching Program and submit your Match code through ADEA PASS.
Pay the UCSF nonrefundable application fee through the UCSF application fee portal:
- $60 for domestic applicants
- $80 for international applicants
If you have international coursework: submit a course-by-course evaluation of all transcripts by ECE or WES. A WES ICAP report fulfills both evaluation and transcript requirements.
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Holistic review with emphasis on: top 20% class rank, strong recommendations, externship experience (encouraged), research experience (preferred).
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Interviews occur in November. Invitations are sent directly by the residency program.
OMFS externship
UCSF offers a 1–2 week externship at UCSF Medical Center and ZSFG Hospital for dental students seeking intensive clinical exposure. Externs shadow the surgical team, participate in daily responsibilities, and receive faculty/resident mentorship.
Requirements: COVID-19 vaccination, CV, immunization form, dean’s good-standing letter, liability insurance proof, UCSF confidentiality agreement, unofficial dental school transcript.
Research in OMFS
The department advances basic, translational, and clinical research. Focus areas include pain (Levine Lab), tissue engineering/regeneration (SFVA faculty), maxillofacial trauma, craniofacial surgery, benign/malignant pathology, reconstruction, dental implants, TMJ disorders, sleep medicine/surgery, and surgical education.
Meet our faculty
Our OMFS faculty are internationally recognized surgeons, scientists, and educators who mentor residents and drive innovation in patient care and discovery.
Our residents
UCSF OMFS residents lead complex, multidisciplinary care at UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center, ZSFG Hospital (Level I Trauma), and the SFVA, while building scholarship and leadership for careers in academics and practice.