Supervisors info:
Γεώργιος Λυρίτης, Ομότιμος Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ (Επιβλέπων)
Ισμήνη Δοντά, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Ευστάθιος Χρονόπουλος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
2020, is a very challenging and critical year in so many levels for the International Society’s Health Issues. It’s also the meeting point year of the “Decade of the Musculoskeletal Health 2010-2020” and the “Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020-2030” as they have been defined by the WHO Scientific Group on the Burden of Musculoskeletal Conditions, in Geneva, at the Start of the New Millennium.
In our times, the Inter- and Multidisciplinary Medical Approach combines the progress of Cell & Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, Informative Sciences, Regenerative Medicine and Biomaterials with biomechanical protocols and new techniques in surgical and non surgical treatments beyond Preventive Medicine that has been empowered by the progress of Genetics and the “decoding” of the pathological paths of many diseases.
From this point of view, though the relationships of Craniofacial and General Health have been nowadays, investigated thoroughly, there are still major issues of Craniofacial Health’s links with Orthopaedics and Metabolic Bone Diseases that haven’t attracted the scientific interest due, mainly to their labyrinthine nature. Even though there is an extensive range of isolated discussed topics, the widely spread approach “Oral-Systemic connections” still doesn’t include complete references of MBD and orthopedic links of Craniofacial Health and quite often not even a single mention of them.
Consequently, “Metabolic Bone Diseases”, “Orthopaedics” and “Craniofacial Health” resemble three “different worlds” with plenty and complicated interactions whose “mapping” is the main task of this Thesis. The scientific and clinical study of Musculoskeletal Issues of the human body rarely includes matters of the Craniofacial area other than Metabolic Diseases of the Bones and Rheumatic Diseases.
Nevertheless if we approach Craniofacial Complex through Mosaic Evolution and Anatomical Network Analysis (AnNA), we find the coexistence of 10 anatomical entities of the human head with 181 morphofunctional sub entities and 412 physical contacts that have complicated musculoskeletal relationships and belong to a wider assemblage of anatomical, functional, evolutionary and developmental relevancy.
This kind of perspective reveals in a unique way, “hidden” aspects of «EvoDevo» (Evolution & Development) biologic model of growth that refer to very interesting topics, such as the role of soft tissue in shaping the modular organization of the head in a way that stability, performance and evolvability are achieved or the exceptional different origin of the left and right hemispheres of the face and the subsequent meaning for the evolution of facial expression and facial asymmetry.
The present Thesis, through the investigation of currently available data, conclude that there is a well-documented need of adding the (related to Orthopaedics and Metabolic Bone Diseases) Musculoskeletal, Infectious and Rheumatic issues to the wider entity of Systemic-Craniofacial links and connections such as mental diseases (Alzheimer’s Disease), cardiovascular diseases, preterm birth, Diabetes among others.
Keywords:
Metabolic bone diseases, Orthopaedics, Craniofacial complex, Implantology, Regenerative medicine, Oral-musculoskeletal links & connections
