Tokyo Women's Medical University

School of Medicine

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Overview

The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Tokyo Women's Medical University was established in 1948 and is one of the most traditional departments of oral surgery in a medical university. Based on the founding philosophy of the university, "Sincerity" and "Compassion," our department provides medical care for patients, aiming to nurture warm-hearted, good clinicians with solid skills, and to enable them to acquire a wide range of knowledge and skills as dental and oral surgeons. Our department handles approximately 42,000 outpatients and 350 inpatients per year, with 10 beds, more than 250 inpatient surgeries, 120 general anesthesia surgeries, and many minor oral surgery procedures under local anesthesia such as implant placement and cyst removal performed on an outpatient basis.
We are accredited by the related associations of dental surgery, and training is available under the guidance of a medical advisor, enabling the acquisition of a specialist degree.
(The Japanese Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the Japanese Society of Maxillofacial Implantology, the Japanese Association for Temporomandibular Joint Research, the Japanese Society of Dental Health Care for the Ill, the Japanese Society of Oral Implantology, and the Japanese Society of Periodontology)

Education Details

Pre-graduate education provides medical students with education on the structure and function of the oral cavity, diseases of the oral cavity, and oral care. Post-graduate clinical training for dentists is provided to foster high-quality dentists who can acquire basic diagnostic skills (knowledge, skills, and attitude) and contribute to the advancement of dental care and dental medicine. The training rotates between outpatient and inpatient wards, and each resident is supervised by a supervisor. In the outpatient setting, students undergo medical interviews, conservative treatment, and prosthetic treatment of the patients under the supervision of a supervising physician. Dental treatment of patients with complications is a frequent feature. In the hospital wards, they perform preoperative and postoperative management of patients in their charge and participate in surgeries. They also learn emergency treatment and first aid for oral and maxillofacial diseases under the supervision of a supervising physician during nights and holidays. Weekly conferences, study sessions, and monthly abstract reading sessions are held.

Research Details

Our department is focusing on research on regenerative medicine in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Biomedical Sciences (Twins) of Tokyo Women's Medical University. To date, we have completed clinical research on periodontal tissue reconstruction using autologous cultured periodontal ligament cell sheets. We are also exploring regenerative therapies in the dental and oral and maxillofacial fields, including the use of mesenchymal stem cell sheets to treat osteonecrosis of the jaw. Our research is not limited to basic research but aims to bring new medical treatments to patients. In addition, we are collaborating with other institutions and universities on a wide range of research projects, including research on oral cancer, the relationship between dental diseases and systemic diseases, genetic research on diseases related to our department, research on oral and facial pain, and research on eating, swallowing, and oral care.

Faculty

Toshihiro Okamoto
Nobuyuki Kaibuchi

Graduate School

Students can conduct a wide range of collaborative research with other clinical departments, basic research laboratories, and affiliated laboratories in the School of Medicine, as well as with medical schools, dental schools, and research laboratories in other universities. The interaction with many researchers and doctors in other fields is a very meaningful experience in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Through research, students will be taught how to search for and abstract English literature and how to present their research at national and international academic conferences. In addition, even in basic research, they should always be aware of the relevance to clinical practice, so we will make sure that they can stay as close to clinical practice as possible. Graduate school is effective in fostering a research mindset as a physician affiliated with a university medical office.

Related links

Research Achievements Database

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