Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
General information
The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is responsible for the teaching and research of the curriculum. The aim is to prepare the undergraduate students for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with oral and jaw diseases at the primary health care level.
In Finland, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) is a specialty of dentistry and medicine. The training programme is open to dentists and physicians. Either a D.D.S. or M.D. degree is required for enrolment in the training programme. The six-year curriculum comprises theoretical and clinical training. After completing the programme, the trainee will be a dental or medical specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery, depending on his/her basic training.
In the training programme leading to the degree of dental doctor, the trainees receive theoretical teaching organised by the medical faculty as well as practical and scientific support given by senior researcher(s) before completion of the thesis.
Contact Information:
Professor Risto-Pekka Happonen, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Lemminkäisenkatu 2, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland; tel.+358 2 333 8240; fax. +358 2 333 8248; email: risto-pekka.happonen@utu.fi
Research
The research in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is characterized by an interdisciplinary approach involving basic sciences and numerous dental and medical specialties. The basic research deals with prenatal craniofacial morphogenesis, pathogenesis of odontogenic tumours and salivary gland carcinoma, prognostic factors of oral precancer and cancer, biomaterials research, and osteodistraction of irradiated bone. Clinical research projects involve diagnosis and treatment of chronic orofacial pain, orthognathic surgery, effect of oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures on speech, obstructive sleep apnea, prevention of oral adverse reactions caused by cancer therapy, and diagnosis and treatment of oral mucosal diseases.
Personnel
Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Risto-Pekka Happonen
Tel. +358 2 333 8240, email: risto-pekka.happonen@utu.fi
Assistant Professor Tuija Teerijoki-Oksa, DDS, PhD
Tel. +358 2 333 8363, email: tuija.teerijoki-oksa@utu.fi
Associate professor Kristiina Heikinheimo, DDS, MS, PhD, Docent
Tel. +358 2 333 8212, email: heikinhe@netlife.fi
www.kristiinaheikinheimo.fi
The personnel of the Department of Oral Diseases of Turku University Hospital is involved in teaching and research.