Pediatric Dentistry and Clinical Genetics

The field covers all parts of dental health care (except orthodontics and larger surgical procedures) in relation to children and adolescents (0-18 years old), including diagnostics, elucidation, prevention, and treatment of common as well as rare congenital and acquired conditions, e.g., mineralization diseases and syndromes. Dental health care is provided for children in the local area in collaboration with the city of Copenhagen Dental Health Care Service for Children and Youths, which has a clinic in the Panum building. Children from a series of asylum centres are also treated at the department.

The department also receives other children with specific problems for consultation and/or treatment. These are referred from the municipal dental health care service or by contact with the parents.

The field also includes a specialist clinic for children with congenital and acquired facial deformities, including Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. The clinic works closely with the Juliane Marie Centre at Rigshospitalet and receives referrals from municipal dental health care services and hospitals.

Education

The field offers theoretical and clinical teaching in paediatric dentistry and clinical genetics. The teaching takes place during the 2nd and 3rd semesters in the master’s programme. The teaching provides the students with qualifications that enables them to identify and refer problems in the children and youth dental health care and to identify and refer relevant patient categories with rarer congenital and acquired deviations in the dental, jaw, and facial development to elucidation/treatment in the specialist dental health care system, regional dental health care system, centres of knowledge, etc.

Research

The current research focuses on dental traumatology, social factors of significance to the dental health and well being, disturbances in the dental development, tooth eruption, normal and abnormal craniofacial growth, jaw growth in children with cleft lip and palate, genetical studies of craniofacial syndromes and deviations in the dental development as well as development and improvement of 3D imaging for analysis of tooth, jaw, and facial development. The research within 3D imaging is undertaken in the 3D Craniofacial Image Research Laboratory, which also includes advanced equipment for non-ionized (not radiation) imaging of face and head in 3D and 4D (video).

Head of area/contact

Paediatric Dentistry and Clinical Genetics

Specialist clinic

3D Craniofacial Image Research Laboratory