Will AI replace oral and maxillofacial surgeons?

Not on current evidence. Less than 30 minutes of a typical shift goes to tasks that AI or robots are doing today. The other 8h (100%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 5.6% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

None of this job's tasks show regular AI use yet. That can mean the work is hands-on or in person, or simply that it rarely comes up in AI usage data.

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 1 more task has only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so it stays with people here. For 11 physical tasks, no robot has shown it can do the work yet.

8h of a typical shift, or 100%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth. (2h 5m a shift)
• Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants and to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues. (1h 27m a shift)
• Administer general and local anesthetics. (1h 2m a shift)
• Evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future. (44m a shift)
• Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment. (31m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 100% carry high or very high responsibility for other workers' safety
• 100% work at arm's length or closer to other people
• 97% are exposed to disease or infection every day

On Indeed, job postings in the Dental sector are at 117% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), down 14.9% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 200 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $352,220 a year ($169.34 an hour), 591% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $86,250 and $622,640 or more a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 5,900 jobs in 2035. It expects about 200 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 4,910 people in the U.S., roughly 0.00% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 729th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 5,900 in 2035.

The most common requirement is post-doctoral training: about 72% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 5 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: graduate degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Judgment and Decision Making, Complex Problem Solving, Operations Analysis, Science
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 8h of a typical shift

Yes. Occupational experts recently added these to the official task list, a sign of how the work itself is shifting. New tasks aren't rated for AI or robots yet:

• Evaluate and treat problems related to the temperomandibular joint (TMJ).

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians (0m touched, $266k median pay)
• Nurse Anesthetists (0m touched, $237k median pay)
• Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2h 18m touched, $293k median pay)
• Urologists (1h 17m touched, $266k median pay)
• Ophthalmologists (44m touched, $300k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 14 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.