History
HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK STATE SOCIETY OF ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEONS
From the NYSSOMS archives, as written by Dr. Leon A. Assael, Secretary - July 17, 1985
At Christmas time in 1948, Doug Parker, Harry M. Seldin, and S. Daniel Seldin were having dinner in New York City. They decided that it was time for qualified oral surgeons in the New York Metropolitan area to organize to elevate the professional standards of practice, promote surgical education, enlighten the general public, promote unity, and secure just legislation. In 1949, the organization was founded as the Metropolitan New York Society of Oral Surgeons. The first scientific activities of the Society were to have live patient presentations with concomitant surgical procedures. These were first carried out at Jersey City Medical Center and then at St. Albans Naval Hospital. In the early years, the Society attempted to delineate those who were truly qualified in oral surgery and limited their practices to oral surgery from those who did not limit their practices.
By the early 1960s, it was apparent that regional oral surgical societies would be better organized on a state-by-state basis. As such, in 1964, during the presidency of Andrew Catania, the name of the organization was changed to the New York State Society of Oral Surgeons, with active members only from the State of New York. With its annual meeting each year in New York City, the Society began a series of excellent scientific programs.
In 1975, the NYSSOMS was confronted with a significant attack on postdoctoral dental education in New York with the move to cut residency training programs in 21 New York Health and Hospital Corporation facilities. In conjunction with the other interested dental societies, the New York State Society of Oral Surgeons was able to successfully avoid these attempted budget cuts, thereby saving the budgets of eleven postdoctoral programs in oral surgery. In addition, the Society worked to successfully pass a degree of provider legislation in New York State, which prevents discrimination against oral surgeons in the setting of fees by third-party carriers.
In 1975, the Society began its office anesthesia-emergency self-evaluation program in which private oral surgeons' offices throughout the state were evaluated as to their ability to care for the ambulatory anesthesia patient.
In recent years, with its name changed to the New York State Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the organization has successfully worked on legislation to permit qualified dentists to perform histories and physicals in hospitals, and to afford relief in the area of professional liability.
In 1985, there were 360 active members of the New York State Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. The Society continues to be dedicated to its goals of serving the scientific, organizational, and political needs of our membership. Current issues of importance to our Society are the continuing malpractice crisis, pending anesthesia legislation, and the ongoing desire of our membership for quality clinical scientific programs.
