Hermann F. Sailer

Two support organisations were founded in Germany in the years 2005 and 2008 to support the activities of the CCI: the Cleft-Children-Aid, Professor Hermann-Sailer Foundation in Hannover and the Cleft-Children-Assistance, Professor Hermann-Sailer Foundation in Bielefeld.

In 2002 Sailer founded the Klinik Professor Sailer in Zurich. The clinic focuses on cosmetic maxillofacial and oral surgery and the surgical treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Sailer founded the Cleft-Children International (CCI) Foundation in 2000. The foundation manages centres where children with cleft lip and palate are operated free of charge. The primary focus of this assistance is in India, where there are cleft-centres (so-called Partner Clinics) run in Mangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai (Madras), Mumbai (Bombay) and Chenganoor (Kerala). Besides, there is also a cleft-centre in Romania. The concept of these centres encompass not only the performance of surgeries, but also scientific studies, e.g. reports on symphyseal mandibular cleft, reconstruction of nasal clefts, the prevalence of CLP in India or the vascular anatomy in cleft lips. A school for cleft-children was founded in Hyderabad in the year 2009.

Between 1992 and 2001 Sailer published several works on the production and application of bone-regenerating proteins (bone morphogenetic proteins) in collaboration with his colleagues Edit Kolb und Franz Weber. These proteins were designed to save the patient from undergoing an operative removal of the bone during reconstruction surgery in the region of the jaws and the face

Since the 1990s, Sailer has been working on the treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The main cause for this condition are extremely narrow upper respiratory (oropharyngeal) tracts. This anatomical situation that leads to respiratory arrests, decrease of oxygen in the blood and other symptoms like high blood pressure can be eliminated by the bimaxillary Rotation Advancement Operation developed by Sailer, where the upper respiratory tracts are dilated permanently

In 1989, Sailer was the first to describe the use of dental implants simultaneously with the reconstruction of the atrophic maxilla.

From 1985 onwards Sailer was an Associate professor for maxillofacial surgery at the University hospital in Zurich. In 1987 he was appointed as Chairman and Director of the Hospital and the Policlinic for Maxillofacial Surgery of the University Hospital Zurich, the Clinic for Oral Surgery and Oral Diagnosis and the Department for Maxillofacial Radiology at the Institute of Dentistry of the University of Zurich. From 1989 to 1994 he was the medical director of the institute for dentistry of the University of Zurich. From 1996 to 1998, he presided over the European Association for Cranio Maxillo Facial Surgery. Sailer has published upward of 300 scientific works in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

In 1983 Sailer described a new operative procedure in which lyophilized cartilage of organ donors is used as a replacement for patients’ bones. In the following decades the material has been tried and tested for reconstructions of all types in the region of the skull, jaws and the face. This saves the patient from undergoing a second operation for removal of bones and cartilage. Even completely lyophilized human mandibles were used successfully in patients.

Sailer studied medicine from 1962 to 1968, dentistry from 1968 to 1971 at the University of Erlangen... and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.) and then Doctor of Dentistry (Dr. med. dent). He completed further studies in the fields of internal medicine, gynaecology, surgery and maxillofacial surgery (1970 under Gerhard Steinhardt) and then in surgery and emergency surgery (1971/72 at the University of Würzburg under Ernst Kern). He thereafter went to Zurich to work at the university hospital there (1972–76). Under the tutelage of Hugo Obwegeser Sailer completed his knowledge in the department of maxillofacial surgery. Sailer was working as a Research Fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons of England and later in Boston, USA he worked in the department of facial plastic surgery under the guidance of R. Webster. In 1980 Sailer obtained his postdoctoral qualification (habilitation).

Hermann F. Sailer (born April 17, 1943 in Erlangen) is a German maxillofacial surgeon. He leads the Klinik Professor Sailer in Zurich and is the founder of the Cleft-Children International Foundation.