[ref. l70917700] Taupo - Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery House Surgeons 2026at Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Waikato -
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery House Surgeons 2026
- Waikato Hospital Full Time, Fixed Term Waikato Hospital in Hamilton is a Level-1 trauma centre and one of New Zealand’s largest tertiary teaching hospitals with over 600 inpatient beds and 22 operating theatres.
The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) provides a tertiary service to the Central North Island, serving a catchment population of approximately one million as part of Te Whatu Ora’s Te Manawa Taki region.
We require OMS House Surgeons to join our team.You will be working as part of a team of four House Surgeons (3 dentally qualified and 1 medically qualified).
Our department has a strong emphasis on clinical teaching and opportunities for our house surgeons to grow their clinical skills in clinics, theatres, on-call opportunities, and courses through a ‘hands-on’ approach.
We will assist with developing your oral surgery skills to build a solid foundation to safely conduct surgical extractions, biopsies and perfect your suturing of the oral cavity and face, and other minor OMS procedures that will be relevant to dental practice, or a future in post- graduate training and beyond.
We will support you to develop your ability to deal with medically complex patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings.As early career dentists, we understand that progression and upskilling are important.
Within the OMS department this is greatly encouraged.
We support our house surgeons to work on research for presentation at the hospital dental conference, OMS conferences and for academic publication.
We also support our house surgeons in completing their RACDS primary examinations.
For those who find themselves with an interest in OMS, there are opportunities for you to apply for Senior House Surgeon and OMS Registrar positions as well as support for your medical degree applications as part of your future career progression.
Financial support for sitting RACDS Primary Exams, IV Sedation courses, and presentation conferences is available for house surgeons contributing to the department.All aspects of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery are seen and treated in the department, with an emphasis on:Management of both dental and facial traumaDentoalveolar SurgeryThird molar extractionsRemoval of impacted and supernumerary teethExposure and bonding of impacted teethDental and craniofacial implant placement for oncology patientsManagement of benign pathologyDentofacial deformity correction surgeryTMJ surgery including arthroscopy and total joint replacement Unique to the Waikato Hospital is the management of head and neck oncology cases.
We are the only OMS unit in the country that conducts its own microvascular free flap reconstruction which provides excellent teaching opportunities for house surgeons.This includes:Comprehensive work-up of a patient diagnosed with oral cancerManagement of oral cancer patients in context of a head and neck Multidisciplinary teamBiopsy of suspicious oral lesionsPeri-operative management of oncology and microvascular free flap reconstruction patientsRoutine oncological surveillance of cancer patients The unit’s acute work is varied, but in addition to the above, it includes the management of facial infections, ward inpatients, and ED presentations.
There is excellent senior support and 3 Registrars to assist our House Surgeon team to allow for adequate supervision and teaching.We have a strong emphasis on teaching, clinical governance and research.
There are weekly teaching sessions (1-2 hours) that involves:Radiology meeting and teaching on x-ray interpretationCase based pathology teaching from a clinical pathologist on patients treated within the unit including review of pathology specimens and slidesMorbidity and mortality meetingsTrauma meeting with discussion on surgical approaches and patient managementMaxillofacial and dental teaching topics given by consultants, registrars and house surgeons on a rotational basisComplex case discussionsGuest lecturersMultidisciplinary meetings with other specialities You will also work alongside registered specialists in Paediatric, Orthodontic, Prosthodontic and Special Care Dentistry who provides dental care to patients with medical complexity and/or disability.
The department also includes three Maxillofacial Technicians which provide support for our house surgeons along with teaching.Outpatient clinics are held daily, with regular theatre sessions rostered for surgical exposure and teaching (e.g.
suturing, extractions of teeth).
Minor operating procedures (MOPS) clinics are run regularly to reinforce house surgeon and registrar surgical skills under LA.
House Surgeons will be embedded within the multidisciplinary teams involved with the management of oncology and cleft patients.
The service is a regional centre for patients with complex health care needs requiring maxillofacial intervention.
The service is well-resourced with state of the art technology, including a departmental CBCT machine, 3D printer, Model Scanner, Virtual Surgical Planning software, and access to in-house maxillofacial prosthetic technicians.
Why Waikato: The Waikato region features a wide range of world-class outdoor and cultural experiences.
You can surf the world-famous beaches of Raglan, swim at the beautiful beaches of the Coromandel and BOP, and hike our majestic mountain ranges and enjoy the local produce.Learn more about living in the mighty Waikato here from Hamilton and enjoy the local opportunities available.
We are only 90 minutes or less from Auckland, Taupo, Rotorua, BOP, Raglan and the surrounds, which will enable you to enjoy your weekends off in a variety of locations without significant travel commitments.
All applications must be completed online and include:Cover letterCVCopy of your Academic recordReferences- click on link below for the Dental Reference Form Dental Reference Form Click here to view the Position Description
- Maxillofacial/Oral House Officer Contact Thasvir Singh for further information if required.
Thasvir.singh@waikatodhb.health.nz Closing date: 27 July 2025