In the field of dentistry, there is teaching and research across a total of 5 disciplines.
Diagnostics
Education
The dental radiology discipline at the University of Eastern Finland's dental unit is responsible for conducting dental, maxillofacial, and partially facial area radiographic examinations, as well as interpreting radiographic images. During the preclinical education, students receive basic knowledge of radiographic anatomy. In the clinical phase, the focus is on enhancing techniques, image interpretation, differential diagnosis, and radiation hygiene.
Research
In addition to basic education, the dental radiology discipline at the University of Eastern Finland is responsible for the specialized training in its field.
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Education
The Oral Pathology discipline at the University of Eastern Finland's Dental Unit is responsible for providing basic education in the field of oral cavity and adjacent structure diseases. Additionally, the curriculum includes obtaining soft tissue samples from the oral area. The education also introduces students to forensic odontology. The clinical education of the discipline focuses on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of oral mucosal diseases. Clinical teaching takes place at the KUH Dental Teaching Clinic and the Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases Clinic.
Research
The discipline conducts research in the field of oral mucosal diseases.
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Clinical Dentistry
Education
Cariology, Endodontics, and Pedodontics are integral disciplines within dentistry. These disciplines provide basic education on dental hard tissue diseases, including diseases of the dental pulp (pulpitis), as well as pediatric dentistry. The education in these disciplines includes substantial practical training, first in a simulation environment and then at the KUH Dental Teaching Clinic. Specialized dental practitioner training is also provided within these disciplines.
Research
Within this field, research is conducted on the relationship between dental hard tissue diseases in children and adolescents and their lifestyle choices.
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Education
Basic Education
The Periodontology discipline provides knowledge of the theoretical background, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the attachment tissues of teeth and dental implants used to replace missing teeth. This knowledge is integrated into the discipline's own study modules as well as modules integrated with other dental disciplines. The discipline also oversees the education in geriatric dental care within the dental unit. Clinical work related to this discipline is practiced in simulation conditions and at the KUH Dental Teaching Clinic during the clinical study years (3rd to 5th years).
Advanced Specialist Training
Periodontology is one of the specialization options within the advanced specialist training in clinical dentistry.
Research
The discipline conducts research in national collaboration, with a focus on oral health in the elderly and the connections between periodontal diseases and general health conditions.
The discipline guides thesis work for both advanced studies and students pursuing doctoral degrees. Depending on the topic, advanced studies within the discipline can be initiated as early as the preclinical phase, but priority is given to students in the clinical phase. The contact person for advanced studies is clinical instructor Tuomas Saxlin.
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Education
The discipline is responsible for providing basic education in prosthodontics and occlusal physiology at the University of Eastern Finland's Dental Unit.
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Orthodontics
Education
Basic Education
The Orthodontics discipline is responsible for providing education in dental and facial development, as well as growth and development of the face, at the University of Eastern Finland's Dental Unit. The curriculum includes learning to identify dental features that can be considered malocclusions and can be treated with orthodontics. Clinical education takes place at the KUH Dental Teaching Clinic. Each dental student is assigned at least two pediatric patients in need of orthodontic treatment for clinical work. One patient has dental crowding/crossbite, and the other has deep bite/posterior positioning of the lower jaw. In addition to orthodontic education, the discipline oversees the dental diagnostics and treatment of patients with sleep apnea and snoring. For this purpose, each student has a patient with sleep apnea (or severe snoring) to diagnose and treat. As a mandatory part of the education, students also observe the work of a specialist orthodontist at the KUH Oral and Maxillofacial Polyclinic. The professor holds a part-time senior dentist position, and the university lecturer holds a part-time specialist dentist position at the teaching clinic. Furthermore, 50% of the clinical education is carried out by a specialist orthodontist. In addition to the mandatory courses in basic education, students with an interest in orthodontics may be assigned more orthodontic patients.
Advanced Specialist Training
In addition to basic education, the Orthodontics discipline at the University of Eastern Finland is responsible for the advanced specialist training in orthodontics. In clinical education, the collaborating partners are the KUH Oral and Maxillofacial Polyclinic, central hospitals, and health centers that have signed further education agreements with the university. The training lasts for at least three years and includes both clinical and theoretical education, including a national 120-hour lecture course for all those specializing in orthodontics. Applications for the training are submitted in a national joint application process twice a year. Information about the right to study and more detailed information about the advanced specialist training can be found on the advanced specialist training page.
Research
In addition to education, the Orthodontics discipline is actively involved in research, focusing particularly on the diagnosis of sleep-related breathing disorders and the possibilities of orthodontic treatment for these conditions. The discipline also investigates the connections between orthognathic surgery and quality of life, as well as the relationship between bite features and generalized pain in the PANIC research project. The discipline guides thesis work for both advanced studies and students pursuing doctoral degrees. Research activities involve collaboration with other UEF and KUH departments and clinics, as well as with other Finnish universities and university hospitals. The discipline has international research collaboration with institutions such as Sao Paulo State University (Brazil) and Kim Il-Sung University (North Korea).
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Education
The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery discipline is responsible for providing education in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Eastern Finland. The discipline of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery organizes its education in close collaboration with the Kuopio University Hospital's (KUH) Unit of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases. The professor and clinical teacher hold a part-time senior dentist position. In addition to basic education, the University of Eastern Finland's Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery discipline is responsible for the advanced specialist training in oral and maxillofacial surgery in collaboration with KUH's Unit of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases and central hospitals that have signed further education agreements with the university. A personalized training program is designed for each specialist dental student enrolled in the advanced specialist training, considering both training locations and content.
Research
The discipline is actively involved in research in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.
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Oral Public Health
Education
Basic Education
The discipline covers the healthcare system, its organizations, funding, and regulatory framework, the promotion of population health, the responsibilities and work environments of dentists, healthcare ethics, as well as leadership, communication, and teamwork skills.
Specialist Dental Practitioner Training
The specialized training focuses on healthcare administration, leadership, epidemiological research, and health economics.
Research
Research areas include population oral health, oral health-related habits, utilization of oral health services and associated factors. Additionally, research covers healthcare management, quality of oral healthcare services, oral health of specific groups (e.g., elderly, inmates), service utilization, nutrition, and quality of life, dental anxiety, and research on teaching methods.
