Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Programs in California
California has 9 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in oral and maxillofacial surgery, based in 8 cities: Fresno, Loma Linda, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, Torrance and Travis AFB.
Each is listed below with its institution, city, current accreditation status, and the years of CODA's last and next accreditation visits, pulled from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Completing one of these programs is the recognized path into the specialty — read on for what each status means and what happens after residency.
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At a glance
In California
Programs
9
With a program
Cities
8
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
0 of 9
Every CODA-Accredited Program in California
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
Reading the List: What California's Accreditation Statuses Mean
The statuses shown above are CODA's own terms, not this site's. "Approval (without Reporting Requirements)" is the classification CODA grants when a program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation" — it's the status shown for every oral and maxillofacial surgery program currently listed for California.
That's distinct from "Approval (with Reporting Requirements)," which means CODA has identified specific deficiencies the program must correct within a set timeframe, and from "Initial Accreditation," which CODA grants to a program that is accredited but hasn't yet enrolled and graduated its first class of residents.
The last- and next-visit years shown are CODA's own accreditation-visit schedule, not anything set by the program itself.
For admissions requirements, program structure, or cost, contact the program directly, and confirm any program's current status with CODA before applying.
Why Accreditation Matters for the Path Into Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Oral and maxillofacial surgery is one of 12 recognized dental specialties, and completing a CODA-accredited advanced dental education program in the specialty is how a dentist becomes an oral surgeon.
California has 9 accredited programs, compared with 1 in Oregon, 1 in Arizona and none in Nevada nearby; wherever you train, our step-by-step guide to becoming an oral surgeon covers the full sequence from dental school through residency, our oral surgeon career guide what the role involves day to day, and which dental specialty pays the most how OMS compares with the other eleven.
Graduates of programs at UCSF-Fresno Medical Education Program, Loma Linda University School of Dentistry and 7 other institutions who go on to practice in California need a dentist license from the Dental Board of California — see California's dentist licensure requirements for the clinical exams it accepts and the rest of what it requires.
After Residency in California
A CODA-accredited residency is the entry point into oral and maxillofacial surgery, not the final step — practicing afterward still requires holding an active dentist license in the state where you intend to work.
Check whether California also requires a separate specialty license with the Dental Board of California.
Residents who train in Fresno, Loma Linda, Los Angeles or one of the state's 5 other program cities and go on to practice in California can check the national oral surgeon salary guide for pay context and search current oral surgeon jobs in California to see who's hiring now.
Where California's Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Programs Are Located
California's 9 oral and maxillofacial surgery programs sit in 8 cities: Fresno, Loma Linda, Los Angeles (home to two of the nine), Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, Torrance and Travis AFB.
That's a wider geographic spread than most states get for a single specialty, though it says nothing about a given program's size, curriculum, or how it compares to another — those specifics live with the program and with CODA, not in this directory.
Use the city column above as a starting point for location, not as a stand-in for the program's own admissions materials.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited oral and maxillofacial surgery residency programs are in California?
California has 9 CODA-accredited advanced dental education programs in oral and maxillofacial surgery, located across 8 cities: Fresno, Loma Linda, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, Torrance and Travis AFB.
Each is listed above with its institution, city, current CODA accreditation status, and last and next accreditation visit years.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date source — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
What does "Approval without Reporting Requirements" mean?
It's the classification CODA grants when a program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation," per CODA's own accreditation-status definitions.
It's the status shown for every oral and maxillofacial surgery program currently listed for California.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying, since status can change between accreditation visits.
Do I have to complete an OMS residency in California to practice as an oral surgeon there?
No. California licenses dentists — including oral surgeons — who completed a CODA-accredited residency regardless of which state it's located in; what matters is the residency's CODA accreditation, not its location.
See our California dentist licensure page for what the state itself requires before you can practice.
What comes after finishing a CODA-accredited oral and maxillofacial surgery residency?
Graduates hold an active dentist license in the state where they intend to practice.
Check whether California also requires a separate specialty license with the Dental Board of California.
Our step-by-step guide to becoming an oral surgeon walks through the full sequence from dental school through residency and licensure.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More California & Oral Surgeon Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.