Ivar Mjor, Dr. Odont.

Associate Professor of Operative Dentistry

College of Dentistry

2004 Awardee

While other researchers are in the lab, testing on practice devices, Ivar Mjor focuses on patients in general dental practice. Mjor, who practices operative dentistry, has received much attention for his practice-based clinical research. “Although the studies are difficult to control scientifically, they have the advantage that they represent everyday clinical practice – the type of treatment received by patients in general dental practice,” Mjor says. “It is expected that practice-based studies will have a direct impact on future general dental practice and the treatment provided to patients.” Mjor’s major contributions in basic science research have been on the normal structure of dentin and the human side effects of dental materials. The aim of his newest study is to increase the longevity of dental restorations using minimally invasive approaches. “Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on ‘replacement therapy’ in operative dentistry per year in the U.S. alone,” Mjor says. “Localized defects (a limited part of the decay) lend themselves to minimally invasive approaches that are less costly and save tooth structure.”