The landscape of international oral and maxillofacial surgery collaborations from 1996 to 2020: a scoping review of the published literature

The emerging field of global oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) aims to improve worldwide access to safe, timely, and affordable OMS care. However, there exists a dearth of literature thoroughly detailing the scope of academic global OMS collaborations between high-income countries (HICs) and low-and/or lower middle-income countries (LICs/LMICs). This scoping review was performed to characterize the landscape of global academic OMS collaborations between HICs and LICs/LMICs. A five-stage methodological framework was used. Academic global OMS collaborations from 1996 to 2020 were identified via an electronic database and grey literature review. A total 1318 articles were identified on December 17, 2020. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 71 articles describing 81 unique global OMS academic collaborations were included in the final analysis. The most common HIC was the United States (44.4%); the majority of LIC/LMICs were within Africa (45.8%). Of the total interventions, 89.6% improved LIC/LMIC capacity development, and surgical (43.8%) interventions were the most common. By serving as a central report on current and past academic collaborations in global OMS, this review helps identify areas in need of surgical capacity building, lays the foundation for future research efforts on the topic, and serves as a resource for individuals aiming to become involved in global OMS.