Delegation of basic dental treatment to well-trained oral hygienists, dental nurses, and dental technicians will result in more time for the general practitioner to treat more specialized dental problems. In two issues of this journal, some surgical treatments which can be delivered by a dentist with special skills on this topic, are discussed. This first issue concentrates on the treatment of odontogenic abscesses, the removal of teeth and roots, the treatment of a perforation of the maxillary sinus floor, and apectomies.