History

The origins of the Institute of Dentistry date back to 1942, when the Department of Dentistry was established at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University (VU MF). Stasys Čepulis, M.D. was appointed the head of the department. During the first eight years of its operations, the department trained 227 dentists. From 1950, dentists were trained in Kaunas, leaving only one course on dentistry at VU MF taught by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vanda Katilienė, and later Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aldona Musneckienė. In 1977, an independent Department of Dentistry was established at VU MF, headed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aldona Musneckienė, and from 1987, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anastazija Tutkuvienė.

In 1990, a Dental Clinic was established at Vilnius University. It was the first specialised unit in this field, with three main areas of focus: educational, clinical and research. Until 2007, the Clinic was led by Prof. Habil. Dr. Irena Balčiūnienė. On her initiative, after a 46-year hiatus, in 1996 the undergraduate studies in dentistry were resumed at VU MF and the study programme was launched.

Following an inspection by the European Union DentEd (Dental Education) Commission in 2000, the VU MF Dental Clinic was listed among the top 16 dental schools in Europe. In 2002, the Institute of Dentistry was established at VU MF as a branch academic unit of the faculty which conducts research, experimental, social and technological development, and formal and non-formal education programmes at all levels.

From 2007, the Institute of Dentistry was led by Prof. Dr Vytautė Pečiulienė. At that time, each year several dozen students from Lithuania and 10 international students were admitted to the Institute. International cooperation between the Institute and other universities in Europe and globally expanded.

In 2014, the institute upgraded its training facilities. Dentists were trained in undergraduate and postgraduate study programmes and seven different specialist areas in odontology.

In 2016, VU MF obtained the right to offer doctoral degree programmes in dentistry. Research in the fields of xerostomia, root canal fillings, digital technologies for dental implantation and prosthetics, immediate implantation, enamel cracks, artificial intelligence, bone regeneration, biocompatibility of prosthetic materials, and others crystallised at the institute, and interdisciplinary research further developed.

The number of PhD students at the Institute has been steadily increasing, as interest in these studies has expanded, and the need for collaboration between modern practical dentistry and the institute’s scientists has grown. The differentiation of research topics has ensured the integrity of input, while at the same time specialisation and changes of topics, and progress towards innovative research, has continued to evolve. The institute’s activities focused on new evidence-based therapies and technologies that can be put into practice, thereby advancing science and making clinical practice safer and more efficient. There were two centres in the institute: the Centre for Clinical Dentistry and the Centre for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, both located in the Žalgiris Clinic at Vilnius University Hospital.

Doctoral students at the Institute of Dentistry have excellent opportunities to deepen their knowledge not only in the field of medicine, but also in other fields and areas, such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, materials engineering, etc. This broadens their ability to master new research methods. Meanwhile their involvement in the VU Doctoral School of Medicine and Health Sciences increases the methodological quality of their work, enhances internationalisation and the dissemination of results. Research in dentistry is closely linked with research in medicine and public health and is often carried out in parallel or on the margins of the fields, something that will continue in the future.

The establishment of the VU Medical Science Centre in 2024 created infrastructure and provided specialised equipment (including, micro-computed tomography, a next-generation SEM unit, a universal mechanical properties testing unit, a precision scanner and a 3D image processing system) facilitating further research. This allows for a significant improvement in the quality of the research carried out by the research groups of the Institute of Dentistry and the creation of new research groups. The aim is to increase the weight, internationalism, interdisciplinarity, cooperation with business, innovation, and the overall efficiency of the doctoral study programme. The doctors of medicine who currently work at the institute are scientists who meet high criteria and can work with doctoral students, consult and supervise them, and are members of the thesis defence committees. Doctoral students of the Institute of Dentistry at VU MF have won a number of competitions for research funding from the Research Council of Lithuania, and their research topics are competitive and internationally relevant.

Research

The research carried out at the VU MF Institute of Dentistry covers a wide range of topical issues of great importance in the international context of dental science. The research initiated here often becomes interdisciplinary, conducted using innovative, modern research methodologies, and the results obtained make a significant contribution to the improvement of oral health not only in Lithuania, but also in Europe and worldwide. Particular attention is paid to inter-institutional and cross-border cooperation, developing links with other non-academic scientific institutions and businesses, which helps to commercialise research results, further scaling up the impact of the research findings on society.

Areas of research:

• Epidemiological, epigenetic and neuroimmune axis indicators of xerostomia, autoimmune and non-autoimmune Sicca Syndrome and their association with oral health.
• Experimental and clinical studies on the properties of endodontic instruments and fillings and their clinical applications.
• Application of digital technologies in dental implants and prosthetics.
• Bone tissue regeneration using 3D bioprinting.
• Biocompatibility studies of prosthetic materials.
• Unusual clinical presentation and innovative treatment of rare craniofacial diseases.
• Results of immediate dental implant placement and prosthetics in the aesthetic zone.
• Research into dental micro-cracks using photoluminescence spectroscopy.

International Collaboration

Contacts