Inger Wårdh

Inger Wårdh

Senior Lecturer/Senior Dentist
Telephone: +46852488226
Visiting address: Alfred Nobels Allé 8, 14104 Huddinge
Postal address: OF Odontologi, OF Oral diagnostik och kirurgi, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Expertise and head of the Gerodontic section at the department of Dental
    Medicine at Karolinska institute. Main responsibility for the courses in
    gerodontics in the basic education programs for dentists and dental
    hygienists. Works part time as a researcher at Academic centre för
    gerodontics, ACT, at Stockholms sjukhem and has several research contacts
    with both Swedish and foreign colleauges of different professions concerning
    the elderly’s health situation. Supervise PhD students in Stockholm,
    Värmland and Norrland.
    * *Awards*
    • The Swedish Dental association, 2011 prize of dental health improving
    activities
    *Education degrees*
    • 1972: High school qualification in science (Naturvetenskaplig linje),
    Nils Ericson-skolan, Trollhättan
    • 1978: Degree in Dentistry (D.D.S) Karolinska Institute.
    • 2002: Doctor of Odontological Science (equivalent to a Ph.D.),
    Sahlgrenska academy
    • 2019: Specialist dentist in Orofacial Medicine.
    *Postgraduate training*
    • 2002: Post doc position at department of Odontology, Karolinska
    Institute

Research

  • Today we keep our own teeth or sophisticated fixed tooth replacements high up
    in ages. A well preserved chewing function is both correlated to good oral
    health related quality of life, a good general health and well preserved
    cognitive functions. Chewing function is therefore one of our focus research
    areas.
    We also study other relations between general and oral health, as the health
    situation in an elderly individual is very complex.
    A special focus area is the increased amount and changed composition of oral
    bacteria that follows with oral dryness. Elderly people have a high
    medication usage that causes oral dryness, which in turn increases the risk
    for caries and mucosal infections but also the risk to receive aspiration
    pneumonia.
    Oral dryness, eye and motor difficulties, decreases the elderly’s ability
    to perform oral hygiene. The oral detoriation often goes fast. The Swedish
    system of oral care to dependent elderly works rather well in special
    facilities but not for those who still live in their own homes, while
    domestic dental care also is a focus area.

Teaching

  • *The gerodontic section has, additional to several master students, three PhD
    students:*
    *Per Stjernfeldt Elgestad, DDS, PhD-student*
    Dentist at the public clinic for medical dentistry attached to ACT with focus
    on dependent elderly. Main focus is to sort out the concept of chewing and
    how a relevant chewing function best should be preserved in elderly patients.
    *Markus Höglund, DDS, PhD-student*
    Specialist Dentist in Orofacial Medicine at the public dental organisation in
    Östergötland. Main focus is to study how patients that suffer from dental
    fear are identified by dental staff.
    *Elisabeth Morén, RDH, DDS, PhD-student*
    Specialist training position in Orofacial Medicine in Falun. Main focus is
    to find effective routines for domiciliary oral care in dependent older
    individuals.

Articles

All other publications

Employments

  • Senior Lecturer/Senior Dentist, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2019-2025

Supervisor

  • Markus Höglund, Tandvårdsrädsla hos vuxna ur tandvårdspersonalens perspektiv

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