[365 Days in Newly Opened Cancer Treatment Center in Core Hospital of Mountainous Area].

The declining birthrate and aging population is one of the social issues in mountainous area in Japan. One regional core hospital at Aizu area in Fukushima prefecture opened cancer treatment center in these area in July, 2022. A high-performance radiation therapy system was newly installed and operated with the staff of Fukushima Medical University, and several supportive therapy for cancer chemotherapy including appearance care became possible in the center. The patients living in Aizu area can receive advanced treatments including radiation therapy without moving to long-distant bigger cities now. We report multiple preparations and several trials that we have made during one year since the opening of the center.

Lip sucking and lip biting in the primary dentition: two cases treated with a morphological approach combined with lip exercises and habituation.

Lip sucking and lip biting in the primary-dentition period can cause the upper incisors to tip labially and the lower incisors to collapse lingually with the lower lip wedged between the upper and lower anterior teeth. The resulting lip incompetence further aggravates maxillary protrusion. Thus, there is a causal relationship between lip sucking/lip biting and maxillary protrusion. Orofacial myologists provide lip training to activate the flaccid upper lip and raise the child's awareness to help stop the sucking or biting of the lower lip, sometimes using an oral screen. Two primary-dentition cases with lip sucking and lip biting were treated with a functional appliance (F.A.), resulting in the elimination of the habits in 5 to 6 months along with the improvement of the overjet, overbite and facial profile. The authors prioritize myofunctional therapy (MFT) when treating open bite cases with tongue thrust in the primary dentition. However, the treatment of maxillary protrusion due to lip sucking and lip biting is approached differently with priority given to morphological improvement to create an oral environment that makes lip sucking and lip biting difficult, which is complimented with lip exercises and habituation. This combined approach was found to be effective in breaking the lip-sucking and lip-biting habits.