Karin Garming-Legert

I hold dual professional qualifications in nursing (1987) and dentistry (1993), and my clinical and academic career has been anchored at Karolinska Institutet, where I have worked as a hospital dentist and clinical teacher with a long-standing focus on oral medicine. I became a specialist in orofacial medicine in 2019. I completed my PhD at Karolinska Institutet in 2011, where my doctoral research examined conditioning-related effects on salivary gland function and oral mucosa in allogeneic HSCT recipients. Since then, my research has continued to address both acute and chronic oral complications following cancer treatment, including oral mucositis and chronic oral Graft‑versus‑Host Disease (cGVHD).  Additionally, my research encompasses oral manifestations of systemic diseases and oral mucosal lesions with limited scientific evidence. A key focus is on the effects of newly marketed tobacco-free nicotine pouches and the clinical and histopathological changes in the oral mucosa associated with snus use. In 2025, I was appointed Docent in Odontology.

Since the early 2000s, I have served as a lecturer at the Department of Dental Medicine, with a particular emphasis since 2012 on oral medicine and clinical oral pathology education for dental and dental hygiene students, as well as for continuing professional development. In 2022, I was appointed Departmental Director of Education and Chair of the Educational Board at the Department of Dental Medicine (DentMed), and I currently serve as Head of Educational Affairs. In 2015, I assumed the role of Program Director for the Dentistry study program and the Complementary Program for Dentists trained outside the EU/EES and Switzerland (KUT). In this capacity, I led the development and implementation of a major curriculum reform for both programs. Alongside my extensive teaching and educational leadership responsibilities, I supervise residents in the Specialist Training Program in Orofacial Medicine as well as doctoral candidates.

• Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2025
• Member, Academy for Educational Excellence (Pedagogiska Akademin), Karolinska Institutet, 2021
• Specialist in Orofacial Medicine, 2019
• PhD in Medical Science, 2011
• Study program in Dentistry, 1993
• Study program in Nursing, 1987

My research adopts a multidisciplinary and translational approach to oral diseases, with a primary focus on complications affecting the soft tissues of the mouth in patients undergoing cancer treatment and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Since my PhD in 2011, where I investigated conditioning-related effects on salivary function and oral mucosa in allogeneic HSCT recipients, I have continued to explore both acute and chronic oral complications, including oral mucositis and chronic oral Graft-versus-Host Disease (cGVHD).

A major part of my work addresses the lack of effective prophylaxis or treatment for oral mucositis, aiming to identify strategies that reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life. My research includes oral toxicity studies comparing conditioning regimens and risk factors. In the field of cGVHD, my projects range from molecular studies to clinical trials, such as a phase II study on mesenchymal stem cell therapy, conducted in collaboration with ME CAST and HERM. Given that the oral mucosa and salivary glands are among the most commonly affected organs in cGVHD, they remain central to my investigations. Parallel to these projects, our research group at the Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, investigates the pathogenesis of oral and salivary gland cGVHD, refining diagnostic criteria and identifying predictive biomarkers.

Beyond HSCT-related complications, I lead a subgroup in a national multicenter retrospective cohort study on chronic oral complications in children, adolescents, and young adults (CAYAs) treated for cancer in Sweden between 1958 and 2021. This work, under the leadership of Dr. Laila Hübbert (Linköping University), examines long-term morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic factors. Additionally, I am part of the international Orastem Study, which evaluates pre-transplant oral health and its impact on HSCT outcomes, including patient-reported measures.

My research also extends to oral manifestations of systemic diseases and oral mucosal lesions with limited scientific evidence. A current focus is on the effects of tobacco-free nicotine pouches and snus use on oral mucosa. In collaboration with Maria Eriksson (MedH), we aim to identify somatic mutations and mutational signatures associated with these products, providing insights into tissue reactions and somatic mutagenesis.

Future Direction: My goal is to advance knowledge on the pathophysiology and progression of oral complications after cancer treatment and HSCT, as well as oral lesions of other origins, to improve clinical care and enhance patient quality of life.

Pedagogical profile & expertise: Orofacial medicine

Current Activities

• Departmental Director of Education, Department of Dental Medicine
• Chair, Educational Board, Department of Dental Medicine
• Head of Educational Affairs, Department of Dental Medicine
• Subject Lead in Orofacial Medicine, Department of Dental Medicine
• Examiner and Course Director, Dental Undergraduate Program and the Complementary Program for Dentists
• Lecturer in undergraduate and postgraduate education
• Member, Academy for Educational Excellence (Pedagogiska Akademin), Karolinska Institutet

Previous Activities

Undergraduate Education

• Program Director, Study Program in Dentistry and the Complementary Program for Dentists from Outside the EU/EES and Switzerland, 2015–2022
• Chair, Working Group for the Development of the New Dental Curriculum (implemented August 2019)
• Chair, Program Committee for the Dental Education
• Chair, Examination Board for the Dental Education
• Examiner
• Course Director
• Lecturer
• Clinical Supervisor
• Supervisor for Degree Projects

Postgraduate Education

• Lead developer of the Study Plan for the Dental Specialist Training Program in Orofacial Medicine, Region Stockholm (implemented January 2020)
• Clinical, theoretical, and scientific supervisor in Orofacial Medicine
• National Examiner, Dental Specialist Training Program in Orofacial Medicine
• Supervisor for Master’s and Doctoral candidates

Additional Activities

• Process Manager in Oral Medicine, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm Region
• Development of national and local guidelines and care programs encompassing prophylaxis, treatment, and follow‑up of patients in Orofacial Medicine