The Department of Dentistry at Ewan Womans University Mokdong Hospital has opened its Ultrasonography Center for Maxillofacial Surgery on August 22, which specializes in the treatment of maxillofacial diseases using ultrasound images.
The opening ceremony was attended by the executives of the Ewha hospital, such as Shim Bong-suk (Vice president/Director, Ewha Womans University Medical Center) and Chung Hye-won (Director, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital); as well as the medical staff of the center, such as Kim Sun-jong (President, Graduate School of Clinical Dentistry) and Park Jung-hyun (Director, Ultrasonography Center for Maxillofacial Surgery).
The newly opened maxillofacial ultrasonography center seeks diagnosis of the various parts of the oral and maxillofacial area (jaw joint, salivary gland, chewing muscle, etc.) by using ultrasound images, which are expected to contribute to overcoming the limitations of conventional radiography in the diagnosis of invasive, two dimensional, and soft-tissue lesions. It also performs ultrasonography-guided injection therapy for reduced pain in cosmetic surgery.
Currently, besides conventional radiography, CT and MRI are mainly used for the diagnosis of the oral maxillofacial disorders, but CT bears a risk of exposure to radiation and MRI has a high cost issue, which all led to the emergence of ultrasonography as an alternative.
In particular, the non-invasive advantage of ultrasonography enables the diagnosis of diseases in patients for whom X-rays cannot be used, such as children and pregnant women,.
The Ultrasonography Center for Maxillofacial Surgery at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital recently began to use ultrasound images to make diagnoses of disc displacement, jaw arthritis, condylar fracture, masticatory hypertrophy and atrophy for temporomandibular joint disorder, based on the anatomical knowledge of the musculoskeletal system in the oral and maxillofacial area. It also performs ultrasonography-guided safe procedures for lavage & lysis of temporomandibular joint and injection therapy for myofacial pain.
In addition, ultrasonography is used to accurately locate the injection position of drug with the help of ultrasound guidance in temporomandibular cosmetic procedures, such as Botox® and filler injections.
Kim Sun-jong, the President of the Graduate School of Clinical Dentistry, who attended the opening ceremony of the center, said, "If the medical device for dental and maxillofacial surgery is manufactured to be easy to use, it will be possible for dental clinics to apply it easily in the future."
