Research

Research Priorities: Oral and maxillofacial traumatology, reconstruction of destroyed bone and tissue structure, osteosynthesis, bioabsorbable materials, stem cell research

Christian Lindqvist is a Finnish doctor and maxillofacial surgeon who has conducted intensive research and work in the area of cranial plastic surgery. He made significant contributions to the development of new methods for recreating destroyed oral, facial, and jaw structures using stem cells.

Right from the start of his work, the maxillofacial surgeon focused his attention on cranial traumatology and pursued ways to reconstruct mouth, nose and jaw function after accidents, injuries or tumour operations and thus to give patients their face back. To this end, Christian Lindqvist conducted fundamental research and he and his team explored possibilities for tissue regeneration. In 2008 in Helsinki, they finally succeeded in constructing tissue on the basis of stem cells and then implanting it into a patient.

The stem cells used were taken from the patient’s own fatty tissue and further developed through combination with beta-tri-calcium-phosphate and a special bone protein, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 7. Since then, this reconstruction method has been improved using computer design (CAD), a development in which Lindqvist’s Helsinki clinic was also involved.

Career

• since 1999 Director, Postgraduate Training Programme, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
• since 1996 Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
• 1996-2019 Head, Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), Helsinki, Finland
• 1995-2013 Head, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Helsinki Central University Hospital (HUCH), Helsinki, Finland
• since 1995 Head, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
• 1994-2002 Director, Postgraduate Training Programme “Oral Surgery”, University of Helsinki,         Helsinki, Finland
• 1988-2007 Director, Postgraduate Training Programme “Maxillofacial Surgery”, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
• 1986 Lecturer, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
• 1983 Specialisation in Maxillofacial Surgery, National Board of Medical Specialities, Finnish National Agency for Education, Finland
• 1979 MD, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
• 1979 PhD in Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
• 1973 DDS in Dentistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Functions

• since 2000 Member, Committee and Representative of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Institute for Dentistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland
• 1998-2000 Member, Follow-up Group, Training Committee of Dentists, Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI), Finland
• since 1997 Board of Experts, Finnish Office for Health Care Technology Assessment (FinOHTA), Finland
• 1996-1997 Member, Training Committee of Dentists, EDUFI, Finland
• 1992-1995 Member, Training Committee, International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (IAOMS)
• 1985-1992 Member, Committee, Scandinavian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (SFOMK)

Projects

• 2008-2017 Participating Scientist, Project “Liver transplant patient and oral health”, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Honours and Memberships

• since 2000 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• since 1998 Member, Dental Surgery Royal College of Surgeons (FDSRCS), UK
• since 1996 Honorary Member, European Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• since 1988 Member, IAOMS
• since 1984 Member, European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery
• since 1984 Member, German Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (DGMKG)
• since 1980 Member, SFOMK