Joseph M. Huryn, DDS, FAAMP -- Chief, Dental Service

Joseph M. Huryn, DDS, FAAMP

Dental Oncologist

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Facial prosthetics
  • Dental implants
  • Dental oncology
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Dr. Huryn's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

I am a maxillofacial prosthodontist/dental oncologist with more than 25 years of experience at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). I am an expert in creating prostheses to rehabilitate patients with defects or deficits of the face, jaws, and surrounding soft tissues, whether they are acquired as a result of cancer surgery or traumatic injuries, or from alterations in growth and development or congenital birth defects.

I am Chief of the Dental Service at MSK, and am proud to participate in the premier training programs in Maxillofacial Prosthetics and Dental Oncology in the country.

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I construct intraoral prostheses for defects of the hard and soft palate (obturators), resection appliances for lower jaw defects, and palatal augmentation prostheses for tongue deficits. I work closely with our head and neck surgeons and plastic surgeons when planning surgical prostheses and intraoperative dental interventions to improve or simplify their surgical procedures. These interventions may include surgical obturators, dental extractions, and intermaxillary fixation (“wiring jaws together”) to help the plastic surgeons reconstruct the lower jaw. Postoperative or interim prostheses help patients through their healing phase and adjuvant therapies such as radiation and/or chemotherapy.

Once patients have recovered and their healing is complete, I plan the fabrication of definitive or more long-term prostheses. I also provide various extraoral prostheses including ears, noses, eyes (ocular as well as orbital) and combination midfacial prostheses. I pioneered the use of osseointegrated implants in cancer patients and have used implants to support intraoral and extraoral prostheses in select patients.

As a dental oncologist, I am concerned with the effects of oral/dental disease on various cancer treatment approaches, especially bone marrow/stem cell transplant and head and neck radiation. Very often mundane dental problems can adversely affect the course of cancer therapy. A dental infection can become life-threatening in a patient whose immune system is severely compromised by high-dose chemotherapy. A thorough pre-treatment dental/oral assessment can minimize such complications. Conversely, cancer therapies often affect the oral cavity. Head and neck radiation therapy may promote post¬treatment dental disease and cause osteoradionecrosis (ORN) if dental surgery is required in irradiated bone.

Patients treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering have among the lowest rates of ORN in the US because we extract unhealthy teeth before treatment, prescribe high-potency fluoride for patients to apply themselves, and see patients for frequent dental follow-ups. We were one of the first institutions to report on the incidence and management of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (ONJ), and have adopted a similar pre-treatment strategy in patients treated with this class of drug for metastases to bone.

In addition to my extensive clinical experience I have been active in clinical research and education. I am a Fellow of the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics and Chairman of its Research Committee and Educational Standards Committee. Over the years, I have written many papers on how various dental interventions affect the quality of life of cancer patients and I speak nationally and internationally on maxillofacial prosthetics and dental oncology.

What I Do at MSK

I'm a dental oncologist, which is a cancer doctor with special training in mouth (oral) cancer. This includes buccal mucosa cancer (inner cheek), floor of the mouth, gum, hard palate, lip, and tongue cancers.

  • Chief, Dental Service
Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Facial prosthetics
  • Dental implants
  • Dental oncology
Education & Honors

Education

  • DDS, New York University College of Dentistry

Residencies

  • Veterans Administration Medical Center (Brooklyn)
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Fellowships

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Insurance Information

Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

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Contact and Location

Dr. Huryn sees patients at two locations.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
530 East 74th Street New York NY 10021
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue New York NY 10065
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Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

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Clinical Trials

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Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

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Research and Publications

Selected Book Chapters
“Oncology dentistry maxillofacial prosthetics and implants.” Bohle GC, Huryn JM. In: Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. 4th ed. Shah JP, Patel S, Singh B, eds. St. Louis: Mosby; 2012.

“Prosthetic reconstruction.” Huryn JM, Bohle GC, Estilo CL. In: Plastic Surgery: Indications and Practice. Guyuron B, Eriksson E, Persing J, Gosain A, Chung K, Disa J, Gosain A, Kinney B, Rubin P, eds. St. Louis: WB Saunders; 2008.

“Maxillofacial prosthetic rehabilitation for patients with paranasal sinus tumor resections.” Zlotolow IM, Huryn JM. In: Nasal Neoplasia. Kraus DH, Levine HL. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers; 1997.

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Huryn’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

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Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Joseph M. Huryn discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

No disclosures meeting criteria for time period


If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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