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| Chief Takashi Yurikusa, D.D.S., Ph.D. |
Senior Staff Shunsuke Ochiai, D.D.S. |
Yuka Yamada, D.D.S. |
Hana Oki, D.D.S. |
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| Resident Yuji Yamaguchi, D.D.S. |
Resident Yuka Tanaka, D.D.S. , Ph.D. |
Resident Ayaka Ishii, D.D.S. |
Anti-cancer drugs and radiation therapy often trigger disorders in the oral mucosal membrane or cause oral ulcers. If these side effects are left untreated, they will be likely to develop into serious medical problems that may postpone or suspend cancer treatment. At the Division of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, the “oral supportive care” is provided to manage, treat, and prevent oral problems during the course of cancer treatment, supporting cancer patients to let them continue their cancer treatments in safe and secure manners. Many other hospitals specializing in cancer treatments, which are designated as core cancer hospitals in Japan, have started setting up divisions of dentistry and oral care as well to support their cancer patients.
At the Division of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, we support cancer patients by taking care of their oral problems trying to reduce their suffering in the mouth and improve their quality of life. In order to achieve this goal, we advance three principals; promoting oral care, promoting multidisciplinary team medicine, and working in cooperation with local dentists.
It is often the case that cancer patients have oral problems as side effects of their cancer treatments. However, it has been proven that the oral problems can be prevented or reduced by maintaining the oral health. At the Shizuoka Cancer Center, the Division of Dentistry and Oral Surgery has been established since the opening of the hospital and has engaged in the oral care for the patients as well as the instructions in self-care ever since. With our support, the cancer treatment itself can be carried out as scheduled, with almost no cases of postponing or suspension.
We support the patients when they take “cancer treatments with high risks for oral disorders” including anti-cancer drug therapy or radiation therapy in the regions surrounding mouth, through collaborations with other clinical divisions. We participate in the treatments even before they start for preventing the oral problems, so that the patients can complete their cancer treatments just as scheduled. In addition, we have established a supporting system for when the patients start having oral problems during their cancer treatments.
Excluding a case where a patient stays at the SCC as an inpatient, he/she will end up spending most of his/her time at home. This means oral care at the SCC won’t be sufficient and he/she will have to see a local dentist. For this reason, we highly recommend our patients to have their own “family dentists” and have regular oral checkups with them. We have made our policy that our patients have continuous oral care, both before and after hospitalization, at the local dental clinics near their homes. Also, during the cancer treatment, we work together with their family dentists whenever it is necessary to provide our patients with supportive care and dental procedures for their oral disorders during the cancer treatments.
Our basic goal is to support cancer patients by treating their oral problems so that they can continue taking their cancer treatments as scheduled. And this goal is being adopted at other cancer hospitals, too. The movement has led to building up a structure involving many hospitals and dental clinics nationwide. With the structure, all the cancer patients in Japan can have dental health checks at the nearest dental clinics, regardless of which cancer hospital or dental clinic they go to. Another of our major goals is to educate our patients to follow the self-oral-care program on their own. We encourage our patients to visit the Division of Dentistry and Oral Surgery whenever they have any questions about the oral care. We always stand by to help them and take care of any oral problems caused by cancer or cancer treatments.
oral supportive care
dental care of cancer patients
medical cooperation between cancer medicine and dentistry
The Japan Society for Head and Neck Cancer
The Japan Society of Clinical Oncology
The Japanese Society of Medical Oncology
The Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Regular Member, the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)
Regular Member, the International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO)
The Japanese Association of Oral Supportive Care in Cancer
oral surgery
Certified Surgeon, the Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
The Asian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (Asian AOMS)
The Japanese Society of Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
The Japanese Academy of Maxillofacial Implants
The Japanese Society of Orofacial Pain
The Japanese Society for Temporomandibular Joint
The Japan Prosthodontic Society
The Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
The Japan Prosthodontic Society
The Japanese Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics
The Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
The Japanese Society of Oral Oncology
The Japanese Academy of Maxillofacial Implants
The Japanese Society of Oral Diagnosis / Oral Medicine
Certified Surgeon, the Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
The Japanese Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism
The Japan Society for Clinical Anesthesia
The Japan Society for Head and Neck Cancer
The Japanese Society of Oral Oncology
The Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
The Japanese Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
