Conditions and Diseases that may Require Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

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An internationally recognized surgical specialty, oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) includes the diagnosis, surgical and related treatments of many diseases, injuries, defects, and aesthetic problems involving the head, neck, mouth, face, teeth, and jaws. Specialists in this field provide care options to patients experiencing such conditions as impacted wisdom teeth, facial pain, and misaligned jaws. They also offer reconstructive and dental implants, treat accident victims suffering facial injuries, and perform specific procedures for patients with tumors, cysts, and developmental craniofacial abnormalities.

The scope of OMS is wide and extensive. Specifically, it covers the following diseases or injuries, among other conditions:

• Dental implant surgery and associated bone grafting
• Dentofacial deformities
• Bone augmentation
• Oral and dentoalveolar surgery (removal of impacted teeth, cysts, etc.)
• Congenital craniofacial deformities
• Facial plastic surgery (rhinoplasty, rhytidectomy, blepharoplasty, etc.)
• Snoring and sleep apnea correction surgery
• Tumor or cancer surgery
• Facial trauma surgery (facial bone fractures and related soft tissue injuries)
• Reconstructive surgery of the face
• Cleft lip and palate surgery
• Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD)

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons do not work alone and often seek the advice, assistance, and even surgical support of other specialists such as dentists, orthodontists, pathologists, oncologists, prosthodontists, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, radiologists, ENT surgeons, and other medical professionals.

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Domenick Coletti, DDS, M.D., is certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. His practice at Central Maryland Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, P.A. includes performing dental implants, removing impacted wisdom teeth, treating facial trauma, and administering corrective jaw surgery. For more articles on oral health, click here.

Oral Bacteria Linked to Esophageal Cancer

People who are infected with Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), a group of bacteria responsible for various gum diseases, are at higher risk for acquiring esophageal cancer. The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects the throat with the stomach.

Image source: www.scientificamerican.com

The correlation between P. gingivalis and esophageal cancer was made after a group of researchers from the University of Louisville (UofL) School of Dentistry found that 61 percent of patients with esophageal cancer were carriers of P. gingivalis.

"These findings provide the first direct evidence that P. gingivalis infection could be a novel risk factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and may also serve as a prognostic biomarker for this type of cancer," revealed Dr. Huizhi Wang, assistant professor of oral immunology and infectious diseases at the UofL School of Dentistry.

Dr. Wang stated that their data, if confirmed, shows that the “eradication of a common oral pathogen may contribute to a reduction in the significant number of people suffering with ESCC.”

Using tissue samples from 100 patients with ESCC and 30 normal controls, the researchers measured the presence of the oral bacteria in the esophageal tissues of their subjects. At the end of their study, they found that bacterial count of P. gingivalis is higher among ESCC patients. The presence of these bacteria, they hypothesized, “facilitates the development of esophageal cancer.”

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Domenick Coletti DDS specializes in full-scope oral surgery at Central Maryland Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery P.A. Follow this Twitter page for more news in oral health.