Malmö University among top universities that conduct jaw problems research

The bibliometric study has analysed research in the field of TMD. TMD (temporomandibular dysfunction) and includes pain and dysfunction in the jaw joints and jaw muscles.

In the study, Malmö University comes in second place after the University of Sao Paulo. The institution gets particularly good results in terms of the number of citations per single-authored article.

A number of researchers at the Faculty of Odontology at Malmö University have TMD as a research area. Professor and orthodontist Thomas List is the sixth most prolific author. Peter Svensson, who ranks highest in the same survey, is a visiting professor.

In the study, data from a twenty-year period has been analysed, from 1992 to 2021. The study has mapped, among other things, which institutions in the world are the most productive, which have the most number of single-authored research articles and number of citations per publication. Major publication trends in the research area have also been mapped. In the analysis, only data from Web of Science, an extensive database of scientific literature and citation data, has been included.

Several researchers at the University have been part of an international consortium specifically around TMD where they have jointly developed a method to diagnose jaw problems and orofacial pain. This method has later been further developed by the researchers at Malmö University in a national and international collaboration. The method, which includes both screening and diagnostics, is currently taught to both dental students and professionals. It is also implemented in general dental care in several Swedish regions.

“It is very pleasing that research conducted at Malmö University for many years, by Thomas List and colleagues, shows such a broad international impact,” says Birgitta Häggman-Henrikson, subject manager for Orofacial pain and jaw function at the Faculty of Odontology.

Text: Anna Dahlbeck and Adrian Grist