Newsletter 53 from the Head of Department

INTERNAL NEWS

Recommendations from the Health Advisory Board: Reward research collaboration at the institute and strengthen interdisciplinarity in the educational programmes
Every two years, the faculty and the department are visited by the Advisory Board, which contributes experience from departments and universities across Europe. On 17 November, the international capacities visited Faculty of Health and us with advice, sparring and recommendations:

• We received great praise from the committee, who were impressed with how far we have come in developing our educations. They can see that we are busy, and they follow us closely with curious eyes. They recommend that we ensure that there is also interdisciplinarity in the programmes.
• The Advisory Board also recommended that we create a managerial and strategic framework that facilitates and rewards research collaboration. They mentioned i.e. the already established Circle U. collaboration, where there are many opportunities - and funding - for a 'dental community'.

Four of the members of the Advisory Board have special knowledge of the orofacial area. It is:

• Mike Curtis, who is Professor of Microbiology and Senior Vice President Academic at King's College in London, where he was previously Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences.
• Professor of Oral Medicine Michael Escudier, who is currently Dean at the Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London.
• Professor of Behavioral Sciences Tiril Willumsen, who is Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Oslo.
• Professor of Oral Surgery and Implantology Aleksa Markovic, who is dean of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at the University of Belgrade in Serbia.

RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND TEACHING

The professional organizations and committees react to the closure of our vocational educations
In November, we informed our partners and the professional organizations and committees about the necessary decision to close the vocational educations for dental nurses and dental laboratory technician at IOOS. In a written response, the Professional Committee for Vocational Training for Dental Nurses (FUTKA) and the Ansatte Tandlægers Organisation (ATO) have expressed concern about the decision and the long-term consequences of the closure of the vocational educations and general dental health. The Danish Dental Journal has an article on the way, in which FUTKA, among other things, criticizes our efforts to increase student volume in recent years. The concern is completely appropriate, and we share this. The criticism, in my opinion, is unjustified.

There is also news about the closure in the faculty's internal newsletter this week: Dental vocational education programmes to close at Health

Get an overview of the rules on exam cheating on Aarhus University's new website
The exams are upon us and with it the risk that you as teachers will have to deal with students who – consciously or unconsciously – cheat on exams. Exam cheating is often about the students not knowing the rules. Therefore, during the autumn, Aarhus University launched a campaign to prevent exam cheating among students. But as teachers, you also play an important role in helping your students learn about scientific honesty and good academic practice.

Aarhus University's page on exam cheating has been thoroughly revised so that it now contains a comprehensive overview of what is considered exam cheating at Aarhus University and how to deal with suspicions. There are also instructions for reporting fraud and information on case processing.

Reminder: The deadline for registering publications in Pure is approaching
If you have publications from 2022 that must be reported in Pure, the deadline is 15 January 2023. The same date is also the deadline for making the publications available in Open Access. See more in the news on the website.

NEWS ABOUT NAMES

Research Grant: Anne Birkeholm Jensen will develop new guidelines
The Riisfort Foundation has granted DKK 156,000 to Postdoc Anne Birkeholm Jensen, Paediatric Dentistry. Anne Birkeholm Jensen received the funding for the project: "Development of guidelines for the use of the disk diffusion method for antibiotic resistance analysis of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans". Congratulations and well done.

The Teachers of the Year Awards
Three of our good colleagues have been voted by our students as lecturers of the year at IOOS:

• Käthe Jill Vestergaard, Dental Nurse, clinical dental technician education
• Karina Kambourakis Johnsen, Lecturer, dental education
• Lise Hove, Psychologist, dental hygiene education

Congratulations on the great recognition and well-deserved title: Congratulations to the teachers of the year  

Rodrigo López has resigned from his position at the institute
Professor Rodrigo López is per 1 November this year resigned from his position at IOOS, where he has also for a long period been Section Head of the Section for Periodontology. Thanks to Rodrigo López, who over many years has provided excellent research and teaching, and a large and important contribution to periodontology.

The field of ​​periodontology is now included in one of the two new sections, together with paedodontics and oral ecology & caries control.

Helle Tolboe is retiring as head of the joint clinic at the dental education
As several of you know, Helle Tolboe was struck by serious illness in January. Helle is doing well under the circumstances, but not quite well enough to return to her work at IOOS. After 40 years at the institute, Helle Tolboe is therefore resigning her position as head of the joint clinic at the dental education at the end of March 2023.

Birgitte Lüttge has stepped in as the immediate staff manager for the clinical teachers at the joint clinic, while Caroline Hørsted is the course leader for the clinical courses at the old study plan.

Thank you to Helle, who has spent her entire working life with us and, in the best sense of the word, has been an institution for both colleagues and students.

Media contributions and expert knowledge about toothpaste and dental flossing
In recent months, two of our researchers have professionally, matter-of-factly and understandably shared their expert knowledge in the media:

• In Berlingske Newspaper, Assistant Professor Line Staun Larsen answers a reader's question about whether it is dangerous to swallow mouthwash with toothpaste after brushing your teeth. The article was published in the newspaper on 14 October.
• At the end of November, Professor Bente Nyvad made the readers of Videnskab.dk more aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using dental floss - and debunked the worst myths: Do-I-live-longer-if-I-floss [In Danish]

Dental students win international triathlon event
One of our dental students, Alberte Kjær Pedersen from the 5^th semester, also does triathlon at an elite level. At the end of October, she won the international World Triathlon Cup Miyazaki in Japan – reportedly in superb style. Indeed, we also have some of the best and coolest students.

Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year!

Siri