RESEARCH

Clinical progress can only be made when treatment results and patient outcome are carefully evaluated and when new ideas emerge from basic science. As such, a university provides a unique setting where clinical departments are strengthened and heavily influenced by their research counterparts. The same applies to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Leuven University Hospitals. At least 3 complementary units are feeding the clinic with essential input: the department of oral and maxillofacial imaging, the 3D-lab facility and the OMFS-IMPATH research unit. Whereas the imaging department and the 3D-lab facility are fully integrated in the workflow of the daily clinic, the research department remains a separate unit, albeit both functionally and architectonically closely related to the clinical department. While many countries are building walls and protective measures against the inflow of foreign instream, research units remain meeting places for scientific young capital from all over the world. OMFS-IMPATH houses no less than 17 different nationalities, who all share a common goal. The society should cherish the research facilities at universities as these are the beacons of hope in dark times.

ONGOING PROJECTS - European funding

DIMITRA

Dentomaxillofacial paediatric imaging: an investigation towards low dose radiation induced risks.

Task 1: Characterising the risks
Task 2: Quantifying the doses
Task 3: Surveying the risks through epidemiology
Task 4: Reducing risks through image quality optimization

Bioprinting of teeth and bone

The development of imaging-based bioprinting techniques for full tooth and bone regeneration in the dentoalveolar region.

More info via Mostafa EzEldeen:

mostafa.ezeldeen@kuleuven.be

CELSA

Harmonization of the use of cone-beam computed tomography for developmental disorders in the maxillofacial region.

TREASURE

Dentomaxillofacial paediatric imaging: an investigation towards low dose radiation induced risks.

NEW ORAL ANTICOAGULANTS IN ORAL SURGERY

Effect of Exacyl mouthwash on frequency of afterbleeds after tooth extraction

Epidemiological study on the surgical removal of third molars
Verbond der Belgische Beroepsverenigingen van Geneesheren-Specialisten MKA
Koninklijke Belgische Vereniging Voor Stomatologie en Maxillo-Faciale Heelkunde (KBVSMFH)
In cooperation with Vlaams Ziekenhuisnetwerk KU Leuven (VZN)

INNERVATION AROUND IMPLANTS

Regeneration and remodeling of sensory innervation around dental implants treated with platelet-rich plasma

RADIATION DOSE SIMULATION

Patient-specific approach of CBCT imaging: custom made Monte Carlo simulations

Objective 1: To customize an existing Monte Carlo framework towards patient-specific applications.
Objective 2: To validate the Monte Carlo framework and the patient-specific voxel phantoms.
Objective 3: To calculate organ doses for various age groups.
Objective 4: To estimate the actual radiation induced risk from these doses using recent dose risk modeling approaches.

TOOTH AUTOTRANSPLANTATION

The development and clinical application of CBCT-based tooth auto transplantation

Aims:

to compare the outcome of a novel approach using a CBCT-based surgical planning and transfer technique including a stereolithographic surgical guide and tooth replica to the outcome of a traditional autotransplantation protocol
to explore the angiogenic and neurogenic properties of PDLSCs in order to develop a new therapeutic strategy in which topical application of specific angiogenic and neurogenic factors on the donor tooth, together with the surgical planning and stereolithographic model will improve the outcome of the autotransplantation technique