Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery

Inselspital Bern

The Department offers the entire spectrum of oral and maxillofacial surgery. This includes detecting and treating diseases, injuries, malformations, and deformities of the face, oral cavity, teeth, and jaw. The Department’s research has a strong translational character and focuses on the regeneration of the facial skull bone.

To the Inselspital website

Director and Chief Physician

Prof. Benoît Schaller

Profile

  • Teaching students of Master in Biomedical Engineering (Osteology) at the University of Bern
  • Teaching students of medicine and dentistry at the University of Bern, postgraduate education and training for specialization in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery on the European (EU) level
  • Education and training of young academics by providing various clinical and scientific fellowship programs in international cooperations.
  • We mainly conduct preclinical research with the specific aim of transferring research results into clinical practice. Our research therefore has a strong translational character.
  • Investigation of the biological process of bone and soft tissue regeneration in connection with the use of various bone substitutes and bone grafts
  • Development of titanium and biodegradable osteosynthesis devices
  • Technical development of 3D-Print-technologies in the clinical practice of Cranio-maxillofacial Surgery
  • Bone & Joint Research Program: Orthopedic Research – Gantenbein Lab & Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Research – Saulacic Lab, DBMR

External Partners

Division of Bone Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine Specialties, Geneva University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland; Metal Physics and Technology, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; National Dental Centre Singapore, SingHealth, Duke-National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain; International Bone Research Association (IBRA), Basel, Switzerland; Geistlich Pharma, Wolhusen, Switzerland;_RMS Foundation, Bettlach, Switzerland; IFIK, University Bern, Switzerland; ZMK, University Bern, Switzerland; IBMM, University Bern, Switzerland

Grants

  • Swiss National Science Foundation, Project: Facilitating a paradigm shift in osteosynthetis: Controlling biodegradation of magnesium alloys and their local effect on surrounding tissue (No. 10.007.007)
  • Clinical Research Grant Maxillofacial Surgery, International Bone Research Association/IBRA
  • Osteology Advanced Researcher Grant (Nr. 22-141)
  • Geistlich Pharma AG, Wolhusen, Switzerland
  • Stiftung, Switzerland

Highlights 2025

Bi-Layered Biphasic Calcium Phosphate Bone Substitute Improve Bone Formation in Lateral Jaw Defects 

Bi-layered biphasic calcium phosphate (BBCP) is a composite bilayered material composed of an α-TCP core. BBCP can be epitactically coated with a biomimetic nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HA) layer with a crystal size similar to that of natural bone mineral. Present study applying an acute-defect model demonstrated that a BBCP yielded higher potential for bone regeneration than that known for the deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM). Furthermore, the BBCP displayed better outcomes in terms of bone-to-biomaterial contact as compared to the DBBM.

Lang et al., Clin Oral Implants Res. 2025

Representative 3D printed testing body with trabecular macrostructure and rough microstructure.

Modulating Primary Osteoblasts Response with BMP-2 Functionalized Coatings on 3D-Printed Titanium Implants

Osseointegration can be impaired in patients with reduced bone-healing capacity. A potential strategy to improve implant integration is to combine a trabecular-like 3D-printed macrostructure with an osteoinductive coating containing calcium phosphate and BMP-2. In vitro cultures using primary rodent osteoblasts demonstrated that this functionalized coating markedly enhanced osteoblast differentiation. The experiments also showed that surface treatment—and therefore the microstructure—had a greater influence on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation than the underlying macrostructure.