Patients at University of the Pacific’s Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and the School of Health Science's Hearing and Balance Center will have better access to specialty care for oral health and hearing conditions as part of a new partnership with Stanford Medicine.

There is a natural link between dentistry and conditions of the ear, nose and throat. The collaboration between Pacific and Stanford will bridge the gap by combining Pacific’s expertise in dentistry and audiology with Stanford Medicine’s advanced diagnostic and surgical capabilities in oral cancers and ear conditions.

“This exciting partnership will build upon our longstanding history of collaboration and draw on Stanford’s and Pacific’s unique strengths to provide world-class comprehensive care for patients—from preventive care, diagnosis, treatment, functional rehabilitation and maintenance,” said David K. Lam, the Dr. T. Galt and Lee DeHaven Atwood Endowed Professor, associate dean for medical integration and chair of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Pacific.

Two multidisciplinary clinics will be established on Pacific’s San Francisco Campus as part of the collaboration.

At the Head and Neck Cancer Outreach Clinic, dentists will evaluate, biopsy, image and diagnose pre-malignant and malignant oral lesions. Patients in need of further advanced surgical care will be treated by specialists at Stanford Medicine. Patients will benefit from truly comprehensive care including oral health optimization, functional rehabilitation and maintenance delivered by Pacific and Stanford experts working closely together throughout all phases of management.

“Because people usually have regular dental exams, disease can often be detected early on, before it progresses into a highly aggressive cancer that may require the removal of part of the tongue or jawbone,” said Konstantina Stankovic, chair of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at Stanford Medicine.

“Removing an extra few millimeters of the tongue could be the difference between having understandable versus almost unintelligible speech. It’s a tremendous opportunity to detect and treat diseases early on.”

The Otology Outreach Clinic will focus on hearing conditions. Audiologists from Pacific’s Hearing and Balance Center, also located on the San Francisco Campus, will screen patients for hearing disorders.

Patients in need of advanced care will be referred to Stanford Medicine, where they can receive procedures such as cochlear implant surgery.

“Offering audiological services through this partnership means early detection and top-tier care for hearing conditions,” said Gabriella Musacchia, associate professor and chair of the Department of Audiology at Pacific. “It’s a game-changer for patient health and an incredible learning opportunity for our students.”

Students and residents at both Pacific and Stanford will benefit from even greater collaborative opportunities in multidisciplinary education, research and clinical care.

“Oral health is paramount to overall health, well-being and quality of life,” Lam said. “Not only will this partnership greatly improve access to quality care for our patients, but it will also help train the next generation of clinicians and clinician-scientists to ensure optimal oral and general health outcomes.”

University of the Pacific and Stanford Medicine began partnering in 2018 when they launched a five-year clinical education and training agreement to develop new interprofessional education, clinical and research opportunities for students.

More recently, the two schools were awarded a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health aimed at bridging the gap between biomedical research and clinical practice, called the Pacific-Stanford PRIMED program.

Research studies conducted as part of the program focus on oral cancer, sleep medicine and developing a Pacific-Stanford biobank, a collection of medical samples used for research.