Jana Olak is the new Head of Institute of Dentistry

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At the council meeting of the Institute of Dentistry on 4 November, Associate Professor Jana Olak was elected as the new head of the institute.

Associate Professor in Paediatric Dentistry Jana Olak said that first she wants to get a comprehensive overview of the specialisation. "Dentistry is a popular specialisation among young people and people generally know what a dentist does. However, it is made up of a number of narrower sub-disciplines, such as endodontics, prosthodontics, surgery, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry, taught by specialists in their field. First, I want to get an overview of the problems and issues in these disciplines. I would like to bring together the ideas of the teaching staff from the different disciplines to work as a team," she explained.

Olak said that she plans to expand research cooperation with universities in other countries and to support student and researcher mobility. "International cooperation helps intensify research. I want to involve young professionals in the institute's work."

Jana Olak graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tartu in 1989. Her main research topics are the prevalence of dental caries in Estonian children, the effect of parental oral hygiene habits on children's dental health, and the effect of sugar substitutes (e.g. xylitol and erythritol) on the development of dental caries in children.

The council of the institute was unanimous in its decision. Jana Olak's term of office as head of the institute will start on 1 February 2025 and end on 1 February 2028.