Research field introduction

It is a well-known fact that caries in young people is rapidly decreasing. On the other hand, the number of teeth remaining in the elderly is increasing year by year, and it is estimated that 20 or more teeth will remain in all 80-year-olds after 20 years. How long will dentistry stick to sharpening, pulling out, and repairing teeth? Although the above-mentioned changes in the structure of dental diseases of the people and the accompanying changes in consciousness require us to take a new form of dental care, it is undeniable that the old-fashioned dental care system is still the mainstream. In our laboratory, we objectively grasp changes in the prevalence of oral diseases in the future and the number of dentists, and seek out how a dental care system that responds to the future era should be, and it is necessary for that purpose. We are conducting research with the aim of technological development.

Based on this philosophy, from a wide range of perspectives, we mainly focus on “”elucidation of the effects of the oral environment consisting of oral bacterial flora on oral and general health”” and “”elucidation of the effects of host responsiveness to the environment on oral diseases””. It is the main theme. As for research methods, in addition to laboratory work that handles human cells and bacteria in the laboratory, we are energetically promoting epidemiological research targeting humans themselves. In addition, in epidemiological studies, we also consider the effects of social systems such as the medical insurance system on oral health by considering social and environmental factors, and provide objective data necessary for reforming the social system. I see it as one of the purposes.

Together with people who are feeling the limits of current dental care, we are aiming for the future to create a next-generation dental care system that is not bound by past regulatory concepts.