Tokyo Women's Medical University

Graduate School of Medical Science

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

About us

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention for diseases in the oral and maxillofacial region. Because research in this field is important not only for eating, chewing, or swallowing, but also for aesthetic, it can be expected to expand further interesting studies. Jaw bone regeneration has been attempted for a long time by oral surgeons, and there are stem cell sources in the oral cavity. Therefore, regenerative medicine is familiar to the oral and maxillofacial surgery as a research field. For those reasons, we are especially focusing the research about regenerative medicine. You can study in collaboration with other departments, universities, or institutes for a variety of research.

Research

(1)Regenerative therapy in the oral and maxillofacial region using “cell sheet engineering”
We are researching about “cell sheet engineering” in collaboration with Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women’s Medical University (TWIns). We have completed a clinical study of Autologous periodontal ligament cell sheet transplantation for periodontitis, and confirmed the long-term stability and their safety of this cytotherapy. Moreover, we demonstrated that bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cell sheet transplantation is effective for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in a rat model. Besides, we are researching about oral mucosal regeneration or dental implants using tissue engineering. Our goal is actually to deliver a new treatment to patients.

 (2)Assessment of human intraoral mechanical and thermal sensitivity with novel simple devices in the clinic: implications for orofacial pain conditions.
The reliability of intraoral mechanical and thermal sensitivity recorded with the intraoral simple devices was applicable. This semiquantitative assessment of intraoral mechanical and thermal sensitivity is feasible for clinical studies in different intraoral pain conditions. The aim of our projects is to investigate intraoral somatosensory changes in patients with orofacial pain conditions and to evaluate the effects of the treatments.

 (3) Peripheral nerve regeneration using dental pulp cells
We study peripheral nerve regeneration with dental pulp cells, because dental pulp tissue contains Schwann cells and neural progenitor cells. A nerve guide containing dental pulp cells in type I collagen gel is transplanted into a gap of the facial nerve in rats and miniature pigs. The recovery is investigated by histological, functional, and electrophysiological analysis several months after transplantation.

(4) Use of dermoscopy for the diagnosis of oral mucosal diseases
Dermoscopes are loupes for examining pigmented skin lesions noninvasively, and they are useful in dermatology for making an early differential diagnosis between melanoma and melanocytic nevi. We are researching about the diagnosis using dermascopy for oral mucosal diseases, including oral lichen planus, pemphigus, leukoplakia, or initial cancer.

Faculty

Professor Tomohiro Ando D.D.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor Toshihiro Okamoto D.D.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor Takanori Iwata D.D.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Kenji Fukada D.D.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Ryo Sasaki D.D.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Toshiyuki Kataoka D.D.S.
Assistant Professor Akira Shimasaki D.D.S.
Assistant Professor Takuya Naganawa D.D.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Satoshi Fukuzawa D.D.S.

Related links

Research Achievements Database

---