Newsletter 40 from the Head of Department

INTERNAL NEWS

Welcome to our newly elected working environment representatives at IOOS
The election of employee representatives and the appointment of management representatives to our working environment organization have been completed, and the employees and managers listed below are now the department's working environment representatives:

Representatives for Research Laboratories:
• Birgit Lene Grønkjær
• David Christian Evar Kraft

Representatives for Clinics:
• Jensa Elisabeth Ottosdóttir
• Anette Aakjær
• Helle Leegård

Representatives for Offices:
• Birgitte Holmen Reggelsen
• Jan Ulrik Rasmussen

Representatives for Dental Laboratory and Practice Laboratories:
• Britt Hansen Bomberg
• Bente Maibøl Jensen
• Dirk Leonhardt

The working environment representatives will also be members of our local working environment committee, LAMU, from March 1st and three years onwards. Read more about LAMU on our website. Our working environment organization is important for the department, the faculty and the university. I look forward to our cooperation to ensure a good working environment at IOOS.

RESEARCH, EDUCATION & TEACHING

Guest researcher from the University of Tehran at the Section for Prosthetic Dentistry
Solmaz Eskandarion is assistant professor at Azad University of Tehran and for a year, beginning March 1st, she will also be a guest researcher at the Section for Prosthetic Dentistry. Solmaz Eskandarion holds a PhD in dental materials, and she has a substantial publication history on adhesive systems. At IOOS, she will be working – among other things - on a research project on dental ceramic materials and new adhesive systems. Her stay is funded by a mobility scholarship of DKK 45,000 from the Aarhus University Research Foundation granted to the section.

Two PhD defenses in February - you are all invited
Two of our PhD students will defend their dissertations next month - both on Friday the 26th of February. At 11.00 AM Anne Birkeholm Jensen, Section for Paediatric Dentistry, with the title "Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans - Experimental and clinical studies" and at 2.30 PM Jens Hartlev, Section for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Pathology, with the project "Platelet-rich fibrin membranes in lateral alveolar ridge augmentation". Both defenses are taking place online, and further details will be sent out by email. The PhD defenses help us staying updated on the latest research at the department, and at the same time they give us insight into collaborative potentials and interfaces in our own research or work area, which may - without our knowledge - lie just around the corner or on the next floor. It has never been easier to achieve new knowledge; it only takes a single click to log on to the digital PhD defenses – so do join in.

Growth, logistical consequences of the increase in the number of dental students
As of the autumn of 2022 the planned increase in the number of dental students accepted should be fully implemented in all years of the dental programme, and at the same time we start implementing the new curricula. This means that we need to plan the logistics in a different way and allocate resources. We have started the analysis and planning process and you will be notified when the greater plan has been made.

NAMES

Peter Svensson awarded the Bensow Prize
The Bensow Prize, which is regarded as the greatest honorary award for dentists in Scandinavia, was this year awarded Professor Peter Svensson from Section for Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function. Peter Svensson receives the award for his ground-breaking research within orofacial pain. Peter Svensson is a pioneer within diagnosis and treatment of orofacial pain. He has helped promoting an understanding of the great importance pains can have on the health and well-being of patients, and Peter Svensson has most recently among other things been one of the prime movers behind a joint international system for classification of pain which has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Bensow Prize is the honorary award of the Scandinavian Dental Association and it was presented to Professor Peter Svensson digitally by the chairperson of the Danish Dental Association Susanne Kleist on Wednesday January 20, 2021. Congratulations - indeed well-deserved. Read more on our website.

Bente Nyvad the 4th most cited researcher within cariology
Before Christmas, the scientific journal Caries Research published a bibliometric analysis which lists the 100 most cited scientific articles – and researchers - of the world within cariology.Professor Bente Nyvad, Section for Oral Ecology and Caries Control is number four on the list and in fact, the only woman among the ten most cited researchers on the list. The high rating mirrors a great and consistent scientific effort that have challenged and changed the field of research over a number of years. Find the article on PubMed: ”The Top 100 Most-Cited Papers in Cariology: A Bibliometric Analysis” if you would like to know which caries researchers are in the top 10 or if you would like to go deeply into the bibliometric method of analysis.

Peter Svensson is the world´s leading expert in facial pain
There are several prestigious academic feathers in the cap of Professor Peter Svensson and our department at Aarhus University. On the international platform Expertscape who, based on scientific publications and a number of parameters, ranks experts and research institutions from around the world within the biomedical field, Peter Svensson ranks number 1 and is therefore considered the world´s leading expert in the category ‘facial pain’. It is impressive and a great recognition to all at the Section for Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, since Aarhus University also tops the global list in the category ‘institution’. Associate professor and Deputy Head for Research and Talent Development, Lene Baad-Hansen is also ranked in the top as number 6 on the global expert list, and our Honorary Skou Professor Frank Lobbezoo is number 3. See all of the rankings within ’facial pain’ and read more about Expertscapes ranking method.

DKK 75.000 to research in inflammatory causality
Associate professor, Gustavo Nascimento, Section for Periodontology, has received a grant of 75,000 DKK from the Agnes and Poul Friis Foundation. Gustavo Nascimento is researching relations between oral inflammation and other inflammatory diseases elsewhere in the body. The hypothesis in the research project is that behavioral changes in endothelial cells lead to changes in blood flow and affects the dynamics of the inflammatory cells in the tissue around the tooth, resulting in the destruction of collagen and bone tissue.

The Danish Dental Association grants funding for periodontitis research
There is more good news. Professor Rodrigo López, also from the Section for Periodontology has received 20,000 DKK from the Danish Dental Association. The funding will be used for the research project "Patients' self-perceived periodontal status". The purpose is to develop and validate a Danish version of a self-administered instrument for assessing periodontitis.

Award and million grant for Lene Baad-Hansen
Last, but certainly not least; Associate Professor and Deputy Head for Research and Talent Development, Lene Baad-Hansen, has received financial recognition not just once but twice for her research work just before 2020 became 2021. Aarhus University Research Foundation (AUFF) has granted DKK 1.4 million for the PhD project ”Genetic, epigenetic and nutritional risk factors for temporomandibular disorders”. The PhD student is Cristina Exposto. Lene Baad-Hansen is the main supervisor, and the project is made in cooperation with Associate Professor Bodil Hammer Bech, Department of Public Health and with one of our Honorary Skou Professors Luda Diatchenko from McGill University in Canada. Lene Baad-Hansen has also received a grant of DKK 100,000 from the ‘The Misses Anna and Dagny Hjerrilds’ Foundation for the Abolition of Animal Testing in Scientific Research”. Despite there being a long tradition of using animal experiments in pain research, Lene Baad-Hansen has never used animal models in her research projects and therefore Lene is rewarded with the grant.

For further information – please see Health’s Newsletter.

Have a good weekend,
Siri