Collaboration

The Center for Odontology and Oral Health Sciences collaborates together with the Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education at the Region Jönköping County Public Dental Health Services, Linköping University and 14 of Sweden's 21 regions, with the aim of gathering research and education under one roof.

As with the upcoming dental education at Jönköping University, COO is based on collaboration with our partners - both nationally and internationally.

This allows us to stimulate applied clinical research that is based on questions and research ideas arising from clinical activities, both in odontology and in oral health science. With the combined expertise of our collaborative partners, we also create a modern dental education with an extensive field-based practice around Sweden. Clinically, it provides more well-educated students and creates conditions for a more equal dental care and better dental health.

Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education

The School of Health and welfare, where COO is based, has historically had a close collaboration with the Institute for Postgraduate Dental Education, which is part of Region Jönköping County's Public Dental Care Services. Here, leading specialist dental care has been carried out since 1972, as well as research and specialist training in all nine odontological specialties. Linked to the Institute of Odontology, with approximately 170 employees, is the Competence Center for Rare Odontological Conditions, which is a national center for rare health conditions.

Collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine at LiU

At the Faculty of Medicine at LiU, that has around 100 professors and 400 doctoral students, the dental students will study the first two years together with the medical students at Linköping University. This will give the students a very good basic medical knowledge that is necessary, not least considering the aging population that needs dental care. In this way, future doctors and dentists will exchange experiences regarding patients and how oral health affects other health areas.

Collaborating regions

Over half of Sweden's regions and Public Dental Care Services have already signed collaboration agreements with the new dentist education, where the dental students will receive approximately 150 days of clinical training at geographically dispersed dental care clinics across the country.

A similar model is used at the University of Tromsø, Norway, where it has been seen that the students often choose to stay and work in the region where they did their internship. The high degree of clinical and practice-based training provides the students with the sufficiant amount of skilled training in a real environment as well as participation in clinical research. The clinics are also connected to an academic environment, and long-term relationships are built that benefit all parties.