Nivetha Natarajan

I am a clinician-scientist in oral medicine whose research aims to improve health and quality of life in ageing populations through interdisciplinary research at the interface of gerodontology, geriatric medicine, epidemiology and public health. My work focuses on understanding how oral health influences frailty, cognitive decline and overall health in later life, and how this knowledge can be translated into more effective, person-centred care for older adults.

My research combines clinical studies with population-based cohorts, national health registers and interdisciplinary collaborations to generate evidence that bridges dentistry, medicine and healthcare systems. I have a particular interest in oral health, cognitive disorders, multimorbidity and healthy ageing.

Alongside my research, I work clinically in orofacial medicine and have experience in teaching and supervising students and healthcare professionals at undergraduate, master's and doctoral levels. My long-term ambition is to establish an internationally recognised research programme integrating oral health into healthy ageing research, contributing to improved health, quality of life and healthcare for older adults.

My research focuses on healthy ageing at the intersection of oral medicine, gerodontology, epidemiology and geriatric medicine. I investigate how oral health interacts with frailty, cognitive disorders, multimorbidity and other age-related conditions, with the aim of improving health, quality of life and person-centred care for older adults.

A central theme of my research is the integration of oral health into broader ageing research and healthcare systems. By combining clinical research with population-based cohort studies and national health registers, I seek to identify risk factors, evaluate preventive strategies and generate evidence that supports earlier intervention and more integrated care for ageing populations.

My current research includes studies of oral health in people living with cognitive disorders, register-based studies of preventive oral healthcare, oral health following stroke, medication-related oral conditions, and the use of dental radiographs to identify systemic disease risk. I collaborate closely with researchers in dentistry, geriatric medicine, epidemiology and public health to translate research findings into clinical practice and healthcare education.

My long-term research ambition is to establish an interdisciplinary research programme that positions oral health as an integral component of healthy ageing research and contributes to improved prevention, diagnosis and care for older adults.

1. Natarajan N, Pihlsgård M, Elmståhl S, Ekström H. Mortality risk relationship using standard categorized BMI or knee-height based BMI – does the overweight/lower mortality paradox hold true? Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. 2024.

2. Natarajan N, Jonasson G, Sundh V, Rothenberg E, Lissner L. Does mandibular bone structure predict subsequent height loss? A longitudinal cohort study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden. BMJ Open. 2023.

3. Lexomboon D, Gavriilidou NN, Höijer J, Religa D, Eriksdotter M, Sandborgh-Englund G, et al. Discontinued dental care attendance among people with dementia: A register-based longitudinal study. Gerodontology. 2020.

4. Gavriilidou NN, Belibasakis GN. Root caries: the intersection between periodontal disease and dental caries in the course of aging. British Dental Journal. 2019.

5. Gavriilidou NN, Pihlsgård M, Elmståhl S. High degree of BMI misclassification of malnutrition among the Swedish elderly population: Age-adjusted height estimation using knee height and demispan. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015.

6. Gavriilidou NN, Pihlsgård M, Elmståhl S. Anthropometric reference data for elderly Swedes and its disease-related pattern. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2015. is the sumamry 

Teaching and supervision are integral parts of my academic work. I have extensive experience in undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral education within dentistry, gerodontology, geriatric medicine and healthy ageing.

At Karolinska Institutet, I have served as university lecturer and course coordinator in gerodontology, contributing to curriculum development, interdisciplinary education and supervision of master's and doctoral students. My teaching spans dental students, dental hygienists, dentists with foreign qualifications, specialist training programmes and multiprofessional healthcare education.

I teach within courses covering gerodontology, cognitive disorders, healthy ageing and oral medicine, with a particular focus on integrating research evidence into clinical decision-making. I am committed to fostering critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration and person-centred care among future healthcare professionals.

I have completed formal training in higher education pedagogy and research supervision, and I continue to combine academic teaching with active clinical practice to ensure that education remains closely connected to contemporary patient care and research.