The research at the Division is broad and clinically grounded, focusing on how sensorimotor input is influenced by various factors and how it develops from childhood through adulthood and into ageing. The research also investigates mechanisms and factors influencing orofacial pain and jaw function, how these conditions arise and interact, and how they can be prevented and treated through a broad range of methodologies, from basic science to epidemiological and clinical studies. In addition, we also conduct pedagogical studies within higher education, with the aim of developing and improving teaching and learning.
Our Division conducts innovative and clinically grounded research across three interconnected areas: orofacial pain and jaw function limitation, oral sensorimotor regulation and chewing function, and pedagogical studies in higher education. Our work ranges from uncovering the biological mechanisms behind chronic orofacial pain, using biomarkers, muscle microbiopsies, and longitudinal epidemiological and clinical studies, to advancing the understanding of how biting, chewing, and oral sensorimotor control develop from childhood into older ages.
We have pioneered new methods for studying jaw motor physiology, sensory-motor integration, and chewing behavior, including the development of viscoelastic test foods and training paradigms aimed at improving oral function and supporting healthy ageing. Our research also explores how impaired chewing contributes to malnutrition and cognitive decline in older adults, and whether disruptions in the chewing and swallowing rhythm may be linked to conditions such as anorexia, bulimia, or obesity. Furthermore, our research group has developed a microdialysis technique and a microbiopsy technique that allow both microdialysis and micro-biopsy sampling from the face, enabling the investigation of mechanisms underlying orofacial pain as well as how treatments affect the muscles.
Complementing this, our pedagogical research focuses on improving education within the health professions, examining students’ communication practices, attitudes toward ageing, and factors that influence learning, wellbeing, and academic performance. Together, these research activities aim to advance scientific knowledge, improve patient care across the lifespan, and strengthen the training of future professionals in oral health.