Caries, also known as cavities, is the most prevalent non-communicable disease in the world. And newly appointed professor, Sebastian Schlafer, is interested in studying the bacterial coatings on teeth, the so-called dental biofilms. Biofilms can provide valuable insight into the world of microscopic processes that cause biofilm diseases such as caries.

As part of his research, Sebastian Schlafer is testing new, targeted treatment methods that attempt to control the bacteria in dental biofilms and that try to remove coatings on teeth without harming the beneficial bacteria that live in the oral cavity.

"My dream is to achieve such a deep understanding of the mechanisms that lead to dental biofilm diseases such as caries that we can intervene with surgical precision. To this day, the most widespread treatment of caries is a form of amputation. You remove part of the tooth and replace it with a filling or denture. Developing treatments that not only remove the symptoms but the underlying causes of the disease as well could potentially benefit us all," says Sebastian Schlafer.

Contact

Professor, Dentist and Dr. med. dent. Sebastian Schlafer
Aarhus University, Department of Dentistry and Oral Health
Telephone: +45 42 97 60 20
Email: sebastians@dent.au.dk