History

Department of pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery, pedodontics and orthodontics

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry was founded in 1986 according to the orders of the Ministry of Health No. 80-1 & 2 and the rector of the State Medical Institute LC-678 from 18.09.1986.

The founder of the Pediatric Dentistry Department was the professor, doctor habilitate in medicine Pavel Godoroja, disciple of the “N. Pirogov “in town. Odessa.He worked as a secondary physician, assistant professor, and since 1975 has been a lecturer at the chair of maxillo-facial surgery at the State Medical Institute in Chisinau. In 1983 he held the doctorate thesis “Ways to Prevent Labial and Oral Cancer”. He has published over 220 scientific papers (including 4 monographs, 5 manuals, 7 patents, 48 innovators).

In 1986 P. Godoroja was elected head of the pediatric dentistry department, since 1988 – professor. Since 2001 he has been Dean of the Dentistry Faculty of USMF “Nicolae Testemitanu”.

At the time of foundation (1986), these professors were working at the chair: ValeriuBurlacu, Victor Catana, GheogheSpatari, who were reading the pediatric therapeutical dentistry, the dental and orthodontic dental prophylaxis, the university assistants Gheorghe Gherman, VasileZagnat, Andrei Porosencov and GhenadieMinascurta.

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry assures the teaching of 4 subjects: pedodontics, pediatric oro-maxillo-facial surgery, orthodontics and dental prophylaxis.

The Chair has inherited the old and beautiful didactic-scientific and clinical traditions of dentistry chairs of the faculty of dentistry: oro-maxilo-facial surgery, therapeutic dentistry and orthopedic dentistry.

Department of Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and pedodontics was organized on 3 September 2007 according to the order of the Rector of the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Nicolae Testemitanu” no. 355A from 10.09.2007, and the head of the department became the university professor,doctor habilitate, Ion Lupan.

In September 2010, by reuniting the Orthodontics discipline, the chair was reorganized into pediatric oro-maxillo-facial surgery, pedodontics and orthodontics.
The head of the department, Lupan Ion, university professor,doctor habilitate, graduated from the Medical College in 1970 and the State Medical Institute in Chisinau in 1975.

He worked as a professor at the College of Medicine and Dental Clinic in Tiraspol (1975-1977), then as a doctor at the Republican Clinical Hospital, the Maxillofacial Surgery Department (1978-1983), the Republican Children’s Hospital – Chief Medical Officer, Chief Department of Maxillofacial Surgery (1983 – 2017), 2007 Head of Oral Maxillofacial Pediatric Surgery and Pedodontics Department of USMF “Nicolae Testemitanu”. He had followedspecializations, recycling courses in Peterburg, Moscow, Chisinau.

In 1993 he held the doctoral thesis in medicine: “Uranoveloplasty – ways to improve clinical outcomes”. It has the highest professional qualification class. In 1998 he was awarded the scientific title of university lecturer at the Pediatric Dentistry Department of USMF “Nicolae Testemitanu”. In 2004 he held the doctoral thesis habilitate in medicine: “The medical recovery of children with congenital malformations of the face”. He has published over 160 works, of which about 70 on the topic of congenital malformations of the face, author and co-author of 7 patents. He was the president of the Association of Moldovan Dentists and the Association of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgeons in the Republic of Moldova; member of the Association of European Maxillofacial Surgeons, member of the European Dentists Association (ERO).Since 2006 he was the non-titular specialist of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova in dentistry, a health expert at CNEAS. In 2017 he was elected as a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova. He was appointed as a scientific advisor to three competitors, two of whom supported the PhD thesis in 2005 and 2009, leading the Master’s Degree in Medical Management in 2008 (first in Dentistry), an official reviewer in supporting doctoral theses at 6 competitors, member of the Specialized Ad Hoc Scientific Council to 5 submissions. He was founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Dentistry (Republic of Moldova), member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Orthodontics and Dento-Facial Orthopedics (Romania, Iasi). From 2010 of the Dentistry Faculty, member of the Scientific Council and Senate of USMF “Nicolae Testemitanu”.

Since 2018,the Chief of the department became Mrs. Railean Silvia, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor.

The primary aims of the department are to train students on practical knowledge and skills on the diagnosis, treatment, prophylaxis of dental diseases and the organization of dental care for children.

The key elements of the management program include the university and postgraduate training of students, dental residents and pediatric dentists and orthodontists in current issues of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the main dental diseases in the Republic of Moldova.
Students are trained to provide dental care to children under polyclinic (cabinet) and stationary conditions in all disciplines of pediatric dentistry: pedodontics, orthodontics, pediatric oro-maxilo-facial surgery and prevention of oral diseases.

At the Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, pedodontics and orthodontics, students of 3-5 years of dentistry are taught. When pediatric dentistry is handed over (prevention of oral diseases, prevention of dento-maxillary abnormalities, pedodontics, oro-maxillo-facial surgery, orthodontics) the particularities of the child’s body are taken in account, that differs significantly from the adult’s one.

The department prepares dentists according to a modernized university curriculum, integrated with that of clinical and medical-biological departments.
For the training of specialists in the given field, the department has educational plans for 3 years of study, elaborated according to the requirements of the Framework Plan of the Ministry of Education and Science and approved by the Central Methodological Council of USMF “Nicolae Testemitanu”.

For the didactic process the staff of the department prepared various teaching materials: tests, methodical elaborations, schemes, slides, etc. The chair has been published: “Pediatric Dentistry in Tests”, 2000, Godoroja P., et al., “Pediatric Therapeutic Dentistry”, 2003, Godoroja P., Spinei A., Spinei I., “Pediatric Dentistry” Godoroja P., Spinei A., Spinei I. et al.

During the years of study, students support: 2 promotion exams (to prevent oral and pediatric oro-maxilo-facial surgery, pediatrics and orthodontics) and graduation exam. Clinical training for students of the fifth year of Dentistry provides 3 weeks for pediatric dentistry.
Within the department there is a student scientific circle whose members carry out investigations alongside the teachers according to the planned works. Students are present at the university sessions with 3-4 reports, some of which are mentioned with diplomas and awards.

The postgraduate primary education at the department is achieved through 3 years of residency in Orthodontics and Pedodontics.

In accordance with the Order of the Ministry of Health No. 121 & 2 of 30.09.1993 “On the organization of specialized courses and training in pediatric and orthodontic dentistry”, more than 300 dentists were trained in the “Actualities in Oral Maxillofacial Surgery” “Actualities in Prevention of Oral Diseases”, “Pedodontics News” and “Orthodontic News”.

In the teaching process, various forms and methods of modern training and control are used at all stages of dentist training: courses, practical lessons, seminars, computerized control tests, patient consultation and treatment.

Since 2002, in order to ensure objectivity, transparency and security of information, students and residents are evaluated with the Test-editor program. This allowed passage of knowledge assessment to graduation and graduation exams in three stages: practical skills attestation, computerized test and oral examination.
Since 2014, the University Management Information System (SIMU)is being implemented by the Department which allows the permanent monitoring of the frequency, success and quality of studies, etc.

The activity strategy of the chair is oriented towards the integration of education with scientific research and innovation in the context of the trends of development of the world science.
The scientific activity of the chair is focused on the main direction – “Prevention and treatment of dental diseases in children”. This scientific issue is integrated into the State Program of the Republic of Moldova and the World Health Organization. More than 1200 scientific papers (monographs, articles, theses, etc.) were published in various journals, national and international scientific collections.

Within this theme, the department’s collaborators wroted the doctoral theses:
- Lupan Ion – in 1993 he defended the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences on the topic: “Uranoveloplasty – ways to improve the clinical results”. In 2004 he held the habilitate doctoral thesis in Medical Medicine in the subject: “The medical recovery of children with congenital malformations of the face”.
- Siminovici Vladimir – in 1998 he supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences on the topic “Current Issues in the Diagnosis and Treatment of OdontogenicCysts in Children”.
- SpineiIurie – in 2001 she supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences “Contemporary Aspects in Dental Assistance for Children with Dental Fluorosis”.
- Spinei Aurelia – in 2001 she supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences “Aspects of prevention of dental caries in children”.

- Railean Silvia – in 2001 she supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences “Contemporary Aspects in Oro-Maxillofacial Trauma in Children”.
- Trifan Valentina in 2002 supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences on “Diagnosis and Treatment of Dental Inclusion”.
- Mihailovici Gheorghe in May 2006 supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences on “Diagnosis and treatment of dento-alveolar disharmony with crowding”.
- Ciumeico-Avornic Lucia, in November 2008, supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences entitled “Evaluation of Periodontal Diseases in the Orthodontic Treatment of Complex Dento-Maxillary Anomalies”.
- Buşmachiu Ion – in December 2008 the doctoral thesis in medical sciences entitled “Treatment of Class II / I Angle Anomalies”.

- Sevcenco Nina in March 2009 supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences “Antihomotoxic Therapy in the Complex Treatment of Periodontal Diseases”.
- Stepco Elena in March 2009 supported the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences “Using Complex Therapeutic Methods of Correction of Metabolism in Patients with Fluorose”.
- Solomon Oleg has held a Ph.D. in medical science on “Prevention of relapse in the orthodontic treatment by prosthesis of partial edentations in children and adolescents” on April 14, 2010.
- Ciumeico Igor, in July 2011, defended the thesis of Doctor of Medical Sciences on “The treatment of dental caries of permanent teeth in the prefunctional stage of eruption”.
- Granciuc Gheorghe, in November 2012, defended the thesis of doctorate habilitate in medical science in medicine: “Evaluation of coordinate compounds of zinc and vanadium in stimulation of osteoregenerative processes in periodontal tissues and in the use of titanium implants”.
- Uncuta Diana in September 2014 supported the doctoral thesis habilitate in Medical Medicine in the subject: “Optimization of diagnosis and treatment in herpes stomatitis”.

During this period various scientific researches were carried out at the department: prevention of oral affections; prevention of relapse in orthodontic treatment; medical recovery of children with congenital malformations of the face; antihomotoxic therapy in the complex treatment of periodontal disease; methods of correction of metabolism in patients with fluorosis and so on.
The department has scientific collaborations with scientists from Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, USA, France etc.

In particular, there were established effective collaborating links with pediatric chairs from Romania ( Prof. Dr. Adam Maxim and Orthodontics, Prof. Dr. Valentina Dorobăţ from UMF “Gr.Popa” Iaşi and Pedodontics Chair, Prof. Dr. Rodica Luca from UMF “Carol Davila”, Bucharest).
The department’s collaborators took part in Congresses of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgeons in Europe, the WHO seminars that took place in Romania, Belarus and Russia.

The department’s lecturers attented courses of professors from the USA (North Carolina), France (Nant), Romania (Iaşi) in various pediatric dental problems.
The department’s collaborators participated in the organization and presented reports at all congresses and scientific-practical conferences in the republic.

The staff members of the department have participated in the implementation of the National Oral Health Program for Children approved by the Government of the Republic of Moldova No. 1235 of December 22, 1998, the Oral Health Program for Children with Disabilities and Special Educational Requirements and the Action Plan for Improvement of Dental Assistance of children from the Republic of Moldova in the years 2016-2020.

New methods of diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of dental diseases, trauma and oro-maxilo-facial tumors in children have been introduced into the dental practice.