Our experience with the significance of collaborative medical and dental surgeries at the Head and Neck Cancer Center, Okayama University Hospital

　　We have been collaborating with head and neck surgeons, plastic surgeons and oral surgeons in surgeries for many patients with head and neck carcinomas（ especially oral carcinomas） since 2006（ fiscal year 2005）. The Head and Neck Cancer Center was established at Okayama University Hospital in 2012. 　This Center was the first of its kind at a national university hospital in Japan. 　At the Center, 174 operations on head and neck carcinomas and 96 reconstructive operations were performed in 2014（ fiscal year）. 　Medical and dental collaborative operations have been increasing almost every year since the 2005 fiscal year. There were 45 collaborative operations in the 2014 fiscal year, which included 30 cases of bone or metal plate reconstruction or plate reinforcement of the jaws. 　There were 76 medical and dental collaborative operations in the 7 years before the establishment of the Center, with a mean of 10.9 operations per year. Since the establishment of the Center, there have been 112 cases over 3 years with a mean of 37.3 operations per year. The number of surgeries has been markedly increased by the establishment of the Head and Neck Cancer Center.

原著(Original)