About me
Expertise and head of the Gerodontic section at the department of Dental Medicine at Karolinska institute. Main responsibility for the courses in gerodontics in the basic education programs for dentists and dental hygienists. Works part time as a researcher at Academic centre för gerodontics, ACT, at Stockholms sjukhem and has several research contacts with both Swedish and foreign colleauges of different professions concerning the elderly’s health situation. Supervise PhD students in Stockholm, Värmland and Norrland.
Research description
Today we keep our own teeth or sophisticated fixed tooth replacements high up in ages. A well preserved chewing function is both correlated to good oral health related quality of life, a good general health and well preserved cognitive functions. Chewing function is therefore one of our focus research areas. We also study other relations between general and oral health, as the health situation in an elderly individual is very complex. A special focus area is the increased amount and changed composition of oral bacteria that follows with oral dryness. Elderly people have a high medication usage that causes oral dryness, which in turn increases the risk for caries and mucosal infections but also the risk to receive aspiration pneumonia. Oral dryness, eye and motor difficulties, decreases the elderly’s ability to perform oral hygiene. The oral detoriation often goes fast. The Swedish system of oral care to dependent elderly works rather well in special facilities but not for those who still live in their own homes, while domestic dental care also is a focus area.
Teaching portfolio
The gerodontic section has, additional to several master students, three PhD students:
Per Stjernfeldt Elgestad, DDS, PhD-student
Dentist at the public clinic for medical dentistry attached to ACT with focus on dependent elderly. Main focus is to sort out the concept of chewing and how a relevant chewing function best should be preserved in elderly patients.
Markus Höglund, DDS, PhD-student
Specialist Dentist in Orofacial Medicine at the public dental organisation in Östergötland. Main focus is to study how patients that suffer from dental fear are identified by dental staff.
Elisabeth Morén, RDH, DDS, PhD-student
Specialist training position in Orofacial Medicine in Falun. Main focus is to find effective routines for domiciliary oral care in dependent older individuals.
Education
Education degrees • 1972: High school qualification in science (Naturvetenskaplig linje), Nils Ericson-skolan, Trollhättan • 1978: Degree in Dentistry (D.D.S) Karolinska Institute. • 2002: Doctor of Odontological Science (equivalent to a Ph.D.), Sahlgrenska academy
• 2019: Specialist dentist in Orofacial Medicine. Postgraduate training • 2002: Post doc position at department of Odontology, Karolinska Institute
Academic honours, awards and prizes
- Awards
• The Swedish Dental association, 2011 prize of dental health improving activities