Professor Emeritus Svante Twetman Receives the Title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Department of Dentistry

Svante Twetman, Professor Emeritus of Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, has been awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Department of Dentistry at the School of Health Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The award ceremony was held on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, in the University’s Great Hall.

Proceedings opened with welcoming remarks by the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos.

Next, Sotiria Gizani, Head of the Department of Paediatric Dentistry at the School of Dentistry of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, spoke of Svante Twetman’s work and personal qualities.

The formal conferment then took place with Professor Nikolaos Nikitakis, Chair of the Department of Dentistry, reading the official citation.

Following that, the Dean of the School of Health Sciences, Professor Pagona Lagiou, invested the honouree with the School’s academic gown.

The ceremony closed with the awardee, Professor Emeritus Svante Twetman, giving a talk on ‘Who Gets Dental Caries – And Why?’

In his welcome address, the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, said, among other things:

‘Over the course of a long and distinguished academic career, Professor Twetman has been affiliated with some of Europe’s most prominent academic institutions. The honouree served as Professor of Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Copenhagen and has held both academic and clinical appointments at leading universities across Scandinavia. Through his teaching, research, and mentorship, he has played a central role in educating new generations of dental scientists and clinicians and has made significant advances in paediatric dental research internationally.

Professor Twetman’s scholarly output is extensive and widely recognised. With hundreds of publications in leading international scientific journals, he is regarded as one of the most influential researchers in Paediatric Dentistry. His work has made a substantial contribution to the development of modern clinical guidelines and preventive strategies aimed at improving children’s oral health.

This body of work has significantly improved our understanding of dental caries and has supported the ongoing shift in modern dentistry from intervention-based treatment towards prevention, early diagnosis, and personalised care’.

Photos: Dimitris Konstantinidis