Discipline - Biochemistry

Professor Greabu Maria, PhD tenured
Professor Ripszky-Totan Alexandra, PhD tenured
Head of works Miricescu Daniela, PhD tenured
Assistant Professor Rus-Hrincu Florentina, PhD tenured
Assistant Professor Radulescu Radu-Vasile, PhD tenured
Assistant Professor Enasescu Alexandru Dan Sebastian, PhD fixed term

The Faculty of Dental Medicine in Bucharest was founded in 1948 due to the remarkable efforts of Professor Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, the creator of modern dentistry.

The purpose was to create a dynamic and modern way of teaching dental medicine, geared towards a complex and complete general medical training for the future dentist, doubled by a thorough specialty training. Because of that, the preclinical subjects, including chemistry and biochemistry are studied by dental medicine students together with general medicine students, until the end of the 4th year.

Until 1961, the General Chemistry department (1st year) led by Prof. Mircea Mezinescu, and the Biochemistry department (2nd year), led by Prof. Simion Oeriu, existed.

In 1961, after dropping General Chemistry studies, the Biochemistry subject-discipline was formed. It was taught in the 1st and 2nd year by Associate Professors Eugenia Soru and Dr. Ghoerghe Tanasescu.

From 1972 operates the Biochemistry department which covers General Medicine, Pediatrics and Dentistry.

Between 1972 and 1991, in charge of the Biochemistry department at the Faculty of Dental Medicine were Prof. Dr. Aurora Popescu (1972 – 1978) and Associate Prof. Dr. Georgeta Grigorescu (1978 - 1991).

Starting from the academic year of 1991 – 1992, the Biochemistry discipline – dentistry was incorporated in the Faculty of Dental Medicine, following the restructuring and reestablishment of the precplinical studies at the Faculty of Dental Medicine. In the same year, 2 post-secondary schools – the Dental Technical and Dental Prophylaxis (turned into the college of dental nurses in 2003) colleges – were founded.

The Biochemistry discipline was led between 1991 and 197 by Head of works Marilena Farcasiu.

Since 1997, the Biochemistry discipline at the Faculty of Dental Medicine has been led by Prof. Dr. Maria Greabu.

In order to align to the analytical programs of the Dental Medicine Schools in Europe and beyond, 1st year students at the Faculty of Dental Medicine have a semester of Chemistry and one of Biochemistry of the oral cavity. The syllabus of the Chemistry and Biochemistry discipline has been restructured in accordance with the major interests of the clinical studies and the European syllabus.

In order to ensure a molecular support to the clinical disciplines, Prof. Dr. Maria Greabu started the post-graduate Biochemistry courses, for alumni of the Faculty of Dental Medicine, Modern Biochemistry aspects and the optional Clinical Biochemistry course.

The teaching activity materialized in numerous specialty books, appearing in national and international publishing houses.

The biochemistry discipline approached news in chemistry, biochemistry and lab analysis methods during their scientific and research activity

The research activity of the discipline was carried out on several, well-defined scientific directions: oxidative stress and its implications in oral pathology; saliva as a diagnostic fluid in oral and systemic disease; molecular fingerprint identification and definition of stem-oral keratinocyte; organic nanoparticle interaction with oral tissues.

The scientific activity materialized in:

  • Numerous scientific projects published and communicated nationally and internationally
  • the development, use and introduction of techniques / methods such as chemiluminescence of haemoproteins and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, glycosylated hemoglobin, the evaluation of oxidative stress in oral pathology, the use of saliva and its components (eg. The gingival crevicular fluid) for diagnosis and assessment of periodontal disease and other oral diseases, stem phenotyping oral keratinocytes
  • Specialty books
  • National and international research grants
  • The organization of the ABSTD Congress, 15-17 April 2010, congress with 70 participants (25 foreigners and 45 romanians from national universities). The web-page of the manifestation can be accessed at abstd.org . The foreign participants represented countries such as Turkey, Latvia, Great Britain, Austria, Greece, USA, Japan, Italy, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Finland and Norway
  • Collaborations with prestigious international universities, such as:
    • Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italia - Professor Maurizio Battino (Romania-Italy collaboration - University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Carol Davila" Bucharest – University of Ancona, with the theme: "Oxydative stress in oral disorders: biochemical and clinical study"), Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher of the official 2015 list and listed in the 2015 World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds
    • University of Seville, Seville, Spain - Profesor Pedro Bullon-Dean
    • Innsbruck University, Innsbruck, Austria - Profesor Anton Amann
    • Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA - Profesor Cristina Sabliov
    • University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway - Profesor Daniela Costea
    • University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria - Dr. Nikolay Iskhitiev

The teaching activity of 1st and 2nd year students was geared, throughout the years, towards the presentation of chemistry and biochemistry notions, from the general perspective, and the perspective of the future dentist. The curricula, syllabus and bibliography for the students are elaborated in the section: Useful information for student

  • saliva
  • oxidative stress
  • nanoparticles
  • stem oral keratinocytes
  • premalignant oral disease
  • oral cancer
  • periodontal disease
NR  TITLE FUNDING INSTITUTE  PERIOD SUM
1 Predictive index for the use of Stem Oral Keratynocites in Tissue engineering UEFISCDI 2015-2017 125000 EUR
2 Wnt/Notch/Hedghog molecular signaling pathways of oral keratinocyte stem cells in oral squamous cell carcinoma UMF CAROL DAVILA 2012-2015 5000 EUR
3 Interaction of polymeric nanoparticles with stem cells from the dental pulp UMF CAROL DAVILA 2014-2016 5000 EUR
4 Infrastruture for the establishment of a research laboratory for fundamental sciences The College of Dentists in Bucharest 2012-2013 5000 EUR
5 Polymeric nanoparticle synthesis targeted for oral epithelial stem cells Fulbright Commission 2015-2016 10000 EUR

 

  1. Virlan MJ , Miricescu D, Tanase C, Sabliov C, Caruntu C, Calenic B and Greabu M, Organic Nanomaterials and Their Applications in the Treatment of Oral Diseases, Molecules, 2016
  2. D  Miricescu , A Totan I Parlatescu, M  Mohora,  and M Greabu, New possible salivary and serum biomarkers in oral lichen planus , Biotech Histochem, 2015
  1. Calenic B, Caruntu C, Greabu M, Battino M, Oral Keratinocyte Stem/Progenitor Cells: Specific Markers, Molecular Signaling Pathways and Potential Uses, Periodontology 2000, 2015
  1. Miricescu D, Totan A, Calenic B, Mocanu B, Didilescu A, Mohora M, Spinu T, Greabu M, Salivary biomarkers: Relationship between oxidative stress and alveolar bone loss in  chronic periodontitis , Acta Odontol Scand, 2014
  1. Maria Greabu , Andreea Didilescu, Ligia Puiu, Daniela Miricescu, Alexandra Totan, Salivary   antioxidant  biomarkers in non-ferrous metals mine workers – a pilot study,  J Oral Pathol Med, 2012
  1. Totan, A., Greabu, M., Totan, C. and Spinu, T. „Salivary aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase: possible markers in periodontal diseases?.” Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, 2006
  1. Battino, M., Greabu, M., Totan, A., Mohora, M., Bullon, P., Bucur, A., Totan, C., Tovaru, S., Parlatescu, I., Didilescu, A. and Spinu, T, Oxidative stress markers in oral lichen planus, Biofactors, 2008
  1. Ghid de biochimie medicală, Maria Greabu, Alexandra Totan, Maria Mohora, Anica Dricu, Alina Elena Pârvu, Liliana Foia, Marilena Motoc, Editura Curtea Veche, București, 2014
  1. Oxidative Damage and Antioxidant Protection : The Science of Free Radical Biology and Disease, Chapter 10: Oxidative stress in oral cavity: interplay between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants in health, inflammation, and cancer, Maurizio Battino, Maria Greabu, Bogdan Calenic, Edited by Donald Armstrong and Robert D. Stratton, Wiley & Sons Publishing House, New Jersey and Canada, 2016
  1. Studies on gingivitis and periodontal disease/ Chapter: Salivary Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress Associated with Periodontal Diseases, Maria Greabu, Bogdan Calenic, Springer Publishing House, New York, pag. 329-343, 2014
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