75 years with Käftis

First installation of a professor

Dr Anders Sonesson received a royal warrant to be a professor of dental X-ray diagnostics.

Stig G:son Östlund becomes the first doctor

Stig G:son Östlund successfully presents and defends his thesis,'Palatine glands and mucin. Factors influencing the retention of complete dentures', at the first defence held at the School of Dentistry. The photo shows the thesis nail hammer.

First female doctor

Anna-Greta Gustafsson presented and defended her thesis, 'A morphologic investigation of certain variations in the structure and mineralisation of human dental enamel', and became the first female doctor of dentistry at Malmö Dental School. She was the third woman in the country to earn a doctorate in dentistry.

TePe AB is formed

Bo Krasse and Hilding Björn, two researchers/teachers at the faculty, helped develop the triangular toothpick that led to the formation of the oral hygiene company, TePe.

Six-year ban on admissions to dental programmes

In 1984, the government decided to stop admitting students to the Dental school in Malmö due to a poor labour market; the decision was met with protests. In 1989, admission of students was resumed. In the autumn of 1990, 72 students started at the 'new dental school'.

Biora AB is formed

Lars Hammarström is one of the founders of Biora AB, which markets Emdogain, a product which is based on his research on tooth development. It is used for periodontal regeneration, periodontal treatment, and during oral surgery.

Global dental health mapped in the CAPP database

The CAPP (Oral Health Country Area Profile Project) database was established in 1995 on the initiative of Professor Douglas Bratthall and was a WHO Collaborating Centre for almost 30 years. The database presents global dental health data, has around 30,000 visitors annually from all over the world, and receives up to 70-80 citations per year.

First dental hygienist earns a doctorate

Pia Andersson defends her dissertation, 'Assessment of oral health status in frail hospitalised patients'.

Cariogram – spread all over the world

Cariogram is a computer-based risk assessment program that highlights an individual's caries risk and displays the current caries risk as a pie chart. It was developed by Professor Douglas Bratthall and has been evaluated in clinical studies by Dr Gunnel Hänsel Petersson. The Cariogram has been translated into several languages and there are more than 120 scientific publications from around the world highlighting the Cariogram.

First long-term studies of zirconia

Professor Per Vult von Steyern, in the 1990s, conducted the first long-term clinical studies of all-ceramic bridges to replace lost teeth. This paved the way for a large number of studies and theses in the 2000s. The research was groundbreaking and pioneering in healthcare as well as in several fields of research.

Award for excellence in study quality

The Swedish Higher Education Authority awards the dental programme an award for its outstanding study environment and high quality.

Children's right to dental health on equal terms

Four important studies have helped to identify factors that affect oral health and have helped the dental profession to shape care to offer equal dental care to all children, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 2008: Karin Ridell conducts research on endodontic treatment of young permanent teeth. 2010: Susanne Brogårdh-Roth investigates behavioural aspects and oral health in premature babies in dentistry. 2020: Henrik Berlin focuses on procedural and postoperative pain in pediatric dentistry. 2023: Tita Kirkinen conducts research on dental health and dental care for children in out-of-home care.

• Susanne Brogårdh-Roth
• Henrik Berlin
• Tita Kirkinen

Links between tooth loss and other diseases

Several research projects, including the PAROKRANK study, have helped reveal the link between periodontal disease (tooth loss) and systemic health, particularly diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more recently inflammatory bowel disease. The researchers were: Björn Klinge, Daniel Jönsson, Kristina Bertl, and Andreas Stavropoulos

Increased knowledge on the healing of dental implants 

Ann Wennerberg began to build a large international research group that focuses on the structure of the implant surface and its interaction with the bone. The research had a global impact on both clinical practice and industry. The results have led to faster and more predictable healing and the possibility to use implants in more advanced and challenging cases so that implant treatment benefits more patients.

Premature babies - what happens to the bite and teeth?

The dissertation, 'Premature birth -studies on orthodontic treatment need, craniofacial morphology and function' was defended by Liselotte Paulsson and became the starting point for increased knowledge of premature babies, who are born about 3-4 months early and weigh as little as 500g. The results from the thesis and subsequent joint international collaborations show that these babies may have more bite abnormalities, increased need for orthodontics, delayed tooth maturation, and abnormalities in tooth development.

• Liselotte Paulsson

More aesthetic and tissue-friendly dental restorative materials

Researchers at the faculty showed through studies that ceramic materials in many cases can replace metals as dental restorative materials. Ceramic materials offer improved aesthetics and tissue friendliness. The research has contributed to a paradigm shift in dentistry, with more ceramic dental restorations being made today than metal-based ones.

• Christel Larsson

Evidence-based orthodontics

The thesis 'Correction of unilateral posterior crossbite in the mixed dentition' was defended by Sofia Petrén in 2011. It showed that fixed braces (Quad-Helix) are superior to removable expansion plates for the treatment of crossbite. Under the leadership of Lars Bondemark, the thesis has since formed the basis for about 10 completed and ongoing theses with a similar approach that has received considerable attention nationally and internationally.

• Liselotte Paulsson
• Sofia Petrén
• Mikael Sonesson
• Emma Göranson

New national node for method evaluation in dentistry

The Swedish Agency for Medical and Social Evaluation (SBU) is establishing the country's only Health Technology Centre for Odontology (HTA-O) at the faculty to fill scientific knowledge gaps.

First dental technician earns doctorate

Evaggelia Papia defends her thesis, 'Micromechanical retention and chemical bonding to polycrystalline dental ceramics'.

• Evaggelia Papia

New diagnostic system for orofacial pain and jaw dysfunction improves patient care

Extensive work over many years resulted in a unique diagnostic system for dentistry (Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders, DC/TMD) with a broad international consensus. DC/TMD has had an extensive international impact on the scientific community, has been translated into more than 25 languages, and has improved both the diagnosis and epidemiology of the subject.

• Thomas List

Key conclusions on the treatment of periodontal disease

Aleksandar Milosavljevic's dissertation shows that patients with periodontal disease (tooth loss) seem to receive more or less the same treatment regardless of their treatment needs. Thus, some patients are undertreated while others are overtreated. This may mean that dental care resources are not effectively utilised.

• Aleksandar Milosavljevic

Home visits to first-time mothers for an equal start in life

Växa tryggt (Growing safely) was an expanded home visit programme for first-time mothers in Skåne where child health care collaborated with maternity care, social services, and dental care. The research project started in 2018 and developed the home visit programme, which is now available in vulnerable areas.

• Cecilia Franzén

Improved diagnostics in orofacial pain

The International Classification of Orofacial Pain publication enables international consensus on the taxonomy and diagnosis of orofacial pain, including dental pain. Thanks to this research, individuals affected by long-term pain conditions in the oral cavity can receive better care.

• Maria Pigg
• Thomas List
• Per Alstergren

Major survey of hygiene practices in root canal treatment

A number of studies from the faculty have analysed hygiene procedures for root canal treatment in general dentistry. The studies show that dental teams do not always follow the procedures and that gloves can create an illusion of safety if procedures for glove changing and hand disinfection are not followed during treatment.

• Annika Björkner

Is granted a three-year dental hygienist program

The faculty celebrates with cake after being granted degree approval for three-year dental hygienist program. The program starts in 2023.

At the top of the list of universities conducting research on jaw disorders

In a new bibliometric study of the research area TMD (jaw disorders), Malmö University is ranked second in the world. The ranking includes productivity and citations per publication. The study analyses data from a twenty-year period, from 1992 to 2021.

New diagnosis system means help for children and young people too

In order to ensure that children and adolescents with orofacial pain and jaw dysfunction also receive the right care in dental care, researchers at Malmö University led an extensive international effort to develop the DC/TMD diagnostic system for children/adolescents. The project has had an immediate impact through a broad consensus in the research community, and translations into several languages are underway.

• EwaCarin Ekberg

Dental programme awarded for sustainability

The dental programme was awarded the 'Practice Green' award, a sustainability award given by the European Association of Dental Education (ADEE).