Oral Medicine

The Department of Stomatology originated as the Department of Dentistry and was established in 1914. In 1945, the hospital was renamed “Affiliated Hospital of National Shandong University,” and the Department of Dentistry was renamed the Department of Dental Medicine. In 1956, it was renamed the Department of Stomatology and undertook teaching in oral sciences for the Medical, Pediatrics and affiliated Nursing School programs of the medical college.

In 1996, it was approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council as an authorized site for master's degree programs and began enrolling postgraduate students.

In 1997, it was designated by the Shandong Provincial Department of Health as a key discipline in medicine and health care of Shandong Province.

In 2000, the Department of Stomatology of Qingdao University Medical College was formally established, and in 2001 it began enrolling five-year undergraduate students.

In 2006, it was designated a key laboratory of clinical stomatology under Shandong Province’s “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” for higher education institutions and a national continuing-education base for stomatology under the Ministry of Health.

Currently, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical College has three campuses: the Main Campus, East Campus and West Campus. The three campuses have 119 medical and nursing personnel, 66 comprehensive dental chairs and 43 inpatient beds in total.

It is currently a regional medical center integrating oral clinical care, scientific research and talent development in the Shandong Peninsula.

With institutional support and funding from the hospital, and after years of talent training and reserve development, the Departments of Oral Mucosal Diseases, Endodontics, Periodontology, Preventive Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry have become leading specialties. The Department of Oral Mucosal Diseases in particular has become a leading clinical specialty in the Shandong Peninsula. The team integrates the strengths of the East, West and Main campuses and has developed into a high-level medical, teaching and research team with comprehensive professional fields, headed by doctoral and master’s supervisors and supported by numerous highly qualified young and middle-aged technical specialists.

Clinical specialties: 1. Treatment aimed at preserving affected teeth: meticulous root-canal treatment and retreatment (ultrasonic root-canal treatment system and warm gutta-percha obturation); microscopic endodontic treatment and apical microsurgery; splinting and surgical treatment of mobile teeth; basic treatment of periodontal disease; and tooth-preserving treatment for traumatized teeth. 2. Esthetic dental restoration: nanocomposite resin veneers for anterior teeth and esthetic restoration of various dental defects; bleaching treatment for fluorosis, tetracycline staining and discolored teeth. 3. Restoration of dental defects with resin inlays and onlays. 4. Painless treatment techniques for adult dental diseases. 5. Painless treatment of pediatric dental diseases, pit-and-fissure sealing to prevent caries, early prevention and correction of malocclusion, and oral-hygiene education, etc. 6. Treatment of sleep bruxism and snoring. 7. Diagnosis and treatment of oral mucosal diseases, especially complex and difficult cases, with design of local and systemic treatment plans. All diagnostic and treatment techniques have reached an advanced domestic level. Complex and difficult cases are referred from surrounding cities, including Rizhao, Zhucheng and Gaomi.

The Department of Oral Mucosal Diseases is a secondary discipline within Oral Medicine. It has 1 doctoral supervisor and 5 master’s supervisors; 100% of its personnel hold a master’s degree or above, and the discipline has a high overall educational level. One member serves as a director of the Chinese Stomatological Association, 2 serve as members of national professional committees, 2 serve as vice chairs of provincial academic organizations, and 1 serves as a vice chair of a municipal academic organization. The talent structure is well balanced, and the academic leader is in the prime of professional life. More than 1,000 outpatients are treated each month, mainly from all over China and from districts and cities throughout the province, earning patients’ trust and high praise from peers. The department is proficient in advanced new technologies and projects representing the professional field, including laser therapy, oral endoscopic examination, high-frequency electrosurgery, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, psychotherapy and physical therapy, and has established a distinctive individualized treatment model.

Under the leadership of Professor Jing Deng, the department is divided into four key specialties: research on oral mucosal bullous diseases and medications; research on oral potentially malignant lesions and exfoliative cytology; research on oral mucosal reticular and patch-like diseases; and research on dry-mouth syndrome. All have master’s degree-granting authority, and their overall strength is at an advanced level within the province. The main work is as follows:

1. Research on oral mucosal bullous diseases and medications. Long-term cooperation has been established with the Ocean University and the drug-testing base of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. The work includes evaluating the efficacy of clinical drugs for bullous diseases; studying marine medicines based mainly on chitosan and its derivatives for sustained oral drug release; and conducting a series of studies on the biological properties of ornidazole sustained-release films. In cooperation with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulation Room, department staff successfully developed Jinshi Mouthwash, mainly for anti-inflammatory, analgesic and astringent effects. It has been used clinically for many years with marked efficacy.

2. The specialty group for oral potentially malignant lesions and exfoliative cytology has for many years studied the pathogenesis and treatment of oral potentially malignant lesions and head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma. Its research covers many areas. In clinical and scientific work, the group is proficient in new pathological research technologies, including molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, cell culture and image analysis. It remains focused on the development and research frontiers of oral pathology, conducting research mainly on the tumor microenvironment and mechanisms of oral carcinogenesis, and the molecular mechanisms regulating oral-tumor invasion and differentiation.

3. The specialty group for oral mucosal reticular and patch-like diseases mainly studies their mechanisms and the development of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicinal treatment. It specializes in integrated medicinal and surgical treatment of these diseases and various oral syndromes. For many years it has focused on integrated treatment of oral mucosal diseases. In cooperation with the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulation Room, it successfully developed a lichen medicated film for oral lichen planus, with good results, and received the Second Prize for Natural Sciences from the Shandong Provincial Department of Education.

4. The dry-mouth syndrome specialty group has completed research on the role of regulating B-lymphocyte dysfunction in the pathogenesis of primary Sjögren syndrome. Its principal members are proficient in molecular-biology techniques and in diagnosing and treating oral and systemic autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. They have also conducted extensive epidemiological surveys and laboratory studies on the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of Sjögren syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis, and are capable of comprehensively managing complex and difficult diseases.

Using the advanced international level in comparable fields as its benchmark, the team focuses on improving clinical technical standards, fully utilizes the hospital’s advantages in personnel, equipment and technology, optimizes medical procedures, promotes the sound development of other fields through its strengths, and has strong capabilities in managing severe and difficult cases.

The Department of Stomatology undertakes teaching for the five-year stomatology curriculum, as well as professional courses for five-year and seven-year clinical medicine, imaging, preventive medicine and other undergraduate programs; it also undertakes teaching for South Asian international students and training of professional and academic master’s students.

Since being approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council in 1996 as an authorized site for master's degree programs, it has enrolled more than 500 master's students.

Since the Department of Stomatology was established, it has enrolled 550 bachelor’s-degree undergraduate students.

Since the Department of Stomatology was established, it has trained more than 1,000 visiting trainees from throughout China.

Over the past 3 years, more than 250 papers have been published in professional journals in China and abroad. The department has undertaken 30 research projects of various types. Team members have a solid research foundation, high scientific-research competence and mastery of numerous advanced experimental technologies.