Professor Dr Jukka H. Meurman

Research Priorities: Oral, maxillofacial illnesses, bacterial illnesses, candidiasis, oral microbiology, and systemic health
Jukka H. Meurman is a Finnish physician and dentist whose research focuses on oral, maxillofacial diseases and systemic health. He has contributed significantly to a more profound understanding of oral and dental bacterial infections as well as of fungal infections.
Jukka H. Meurman and his team have focused primarily on the question as to how oral and dental infections can affect morbidity risk and mortality in people with chronic illnesses. The research group working with Meurman, has in randomised, controlled clinical studies also showed that probiotic bacteria can contribute to making both high-risk areas of oral medicine more manageable – tooth decay in children and fungal infections in the elderly and the immunocompromised.
The role of oral infections in systemic illnesses has been a topic of discussion and research since the 1980s. A three-decade long-term study initiated by Jukka H. Meurman pursued the research question: Are periodontitis and a full loss of teeth associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and increased mortality? They found that edentulousness was strongly correlated with higher mortality, especially due to coronary heart disease.
In addition, periodontitis was found to be associated with increased burden of disease, either due to a transition of the bacterial infection to other structures or indirectly via systemic infection. There is a well-established correlation between periodontitis and high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and also with malignancies and dementia. The common pathological cause is the low-grade chronic infection which stems from the persistent oral and dental infections. As a result, inflammatory mediators such as cytokines exacerbate the infection and can lead, e.g., to atherosclerotic vascular changes or malignant cellular transformations.
Jukka H. Meurman’s research has been documented in a wide range of publications and contributions to textbooks. The scientist has made significant contributions to public health on both a European and global level.