Visiting researcher at NIOM focusing on ceramic restorations

Professor Marit Øilo explores clinically relevant testing methods for dental ceramics

Marit Øilo is a professor of biomaterials, a dentist, and a specialist in prosthodontics. She is based at the Institute of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Bergen and is currently a visiting researcher at NIOM.

Øilo will spend a total of two months at NIOM, distributed over a longer period. During her stay, she is continuing her work on developing clinically relevant laboratory methods for investigating ceramic restorations. A key challenge in the field is that ceramic restorations often fracture clinically under much lower loads than those they withstand in laboratory testing.

“We still don’t fully understand why ceramic restorations fail clinically at loads far below what laboratory tests predict. My goal is to get closer to testing methods that better reflect real clinical conditions,” Øilo says.

This is not Øilo’s first stay at NIOM. She has previously been a guest researcher at the institute and chose to return to continue working on related research questions. According to Øilo, NIOM offers a unique environment where extensive expertise in dental materials is gathered in one place, combined with laboratory equipment that is particularly well suited to her research needs.

Looking ahead, Øilo hopes her stay will contribute to identifying more universal methods for assessing the mechanical properties of ceramic restorations. Such methods could make it easier to distinguish between different materials and explore ways to extend their clinical service life. She also expects to deepen her knowledge of modern testing methods for dental materials during her time at NIOM.