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Faculty of Health Sciences
School of Dentistry
Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Biology
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Oral cancer is now the Department's main research thrust and the Department is currently involved in collaborative research projects with leading international and national institutions. The projects concentrate on the role of the human papillomavirus in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Research also demonstrated the presence of abnormal amounts of DNA in oral cancer to be an indication of cancer metastases to regional lymph nodes. DNA flow cytometry was also used to show that pulpal tissue from teeth do not degrade as fast as has been demonstrated in other organs. This is an important discovery in forensic dentistry as it may be used to determine the postmortem interval time of death.
Contact person: Prof WFP van Heerden.
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