Biomedical technology revolution: opportunities and challenges for oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

During this 45-minute presentation, I have tried to describe my vision of the exciting future that awaits us. I have tried to impart my enthusiasm for the opportunities provided to us as surgeons by the advances in molecular biology and genetics, imaging, surgical technology and bioinformatics. Most of all, I hope I have transmitted my optimism for the future to our younger members. I think the following statement or observation by the great educator Margaret Mead accurately summarizes our current situation regarding the application of all this new knowledge that will become available to us as surgeons: 'We are now at the point where we must educate people (surgeons) in what nobody knew yesterday, and prepare in our schools (training programs) for what no one knows yet but what some people must know tomorrow.'