Oral health
Research group information
Unit and faculty
Contact information
Contact person
Researchers
Research group description
Oral health research is a part of the Research Unit of Population Health. The projects cover a wide range of topics including the epidemiology, diagnostics, and treatment of oral diseases, as well as their connections to general health. The research groups utilize diverse data sources such as the Northern Finland Birth Cohorts, clinical follow-up studies, and advanced imaging techniques. Topics include temporomandibular disorders, developmental anomalies of the dentition, oral mucosal diseases, pediatric dentistry, long-term outcomes of prosthetic treatments, applications of AI and teledentistry, and the impact of oral health on psychological well-being and systemic diseases. The research supports evidence-based care and the development of oral health services.
Contact persons: Each project lists its responsible group leaders.
Oral Health Projects
- Northern Finland Birth Cohorts 1966 and 1986, epidemiological study of oral diseases – group leaders Pekka Ylöstalo, Kirsi Sipilä, Marja-Liisa Laitala, Saujanya Karki, Tuula Salo, Anna-Sofia Silvola
- TMD (temporomandibular disorders): prevalence, diagnosis, background factors, and treatment – group leaders Kirsi Sipilä and Ritva Näpänkangas
- 3D imaging of the head and dentition - group leaders Virpi Harila, Anna-Sofia Silvola
- Cleft patients, cleft lip and/or palate patients, syndromes, epidemiology, treatment, and treatment effectiveness (including oral surgery) - group leaders Virpi Harila, Riitta Lithovius
- Oral and Maxillofacial traumas, assessment of the complexity of tooth extraction - Group leader Riitta Lithovius
- Autotransplantations - Group leaders Virpi Harila, Riitta Lithovius
- Epidemiology of occlusal anomalies and effects on oral health and oral health-related quality of life - group leader Anna-Sofia Silvola
- Prevalence, diagnosis, background factors, and treatment of hard tissue diseases of the dentition - group leaders Marja-Liisa Laitala, Tarja Tanner
- Pedodontics, oral health of young children within the healthcare system – group leaders Marja-Liisa Laitala, Päivi Rajavaara
- Radiology, imaging of the dentition and jaws, diagnosis – group leader Annina Sipola
- Prosthetics, dental deficiencies and their replacement, long-term clinical follow-up studies – group leaders Ritva Näpänkangas, Kirsi Sipilä
- Periodontology, the connection between periodontitis and systemic diseases, oral health of the elderly – group leader Pekka Ylöstalo
- Dental anxiety – group leader Taina Kankaala
- Substance use – group leaders Marja-Liisa Laitala, Tarja Tanner
- Oral mucosal diseases and oral cancer – group leader Tuula Salo
- Teledentistry and AI – group leader Saujanya Karki
- Oral health care services - group leader Saujanya Karki
- Sport dentistry – group leader Tarja Tanner
- Effectiveness of orthodontic care – clinical follow-up studies - group leader Anna-Sofia Silvola
- Social media use, self-perceived dental aesthetics and psychological well-being - group leader Anna-Sofia Silvola
- Human condyle arthritis: radiologic and histologic characteristics - group leaders Anna-Sofia Silvola, Riitta Lithovius
- Pharamcological substances and oral health – group leader Antti Tiisanoja
Oral health staff teach dentistry of at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu. The disciplines are:
- Orthodontics
- Periodontology and Gerodontology
- Cariology, Endodontology and Pediatric Dentistry
- Oral- and Maxillofacial surgery
- Oral radiology
- Dental public health
- Oral medicine and Oral pathology
- Prosthodontics and Stomatognathic physiology
Teaching contact person: Ritva Näpänkangas
Oral Health, Research Unit of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu
- Mailing address: Oral Health, PO Box 5000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland
- Visiting address: Oral health, Dentopolis, Kontinkangas Campus, Faculty of Medicine, Aapistie 3, Oulu, Finland
- Staff emails: firstname.lastname(at)oulu.fi