History

The Department of Dental Prosthetics was established for the first time in the academic year 1960/61, within the Institute of Dentistry at the Medical Faculty in Skopje. It covered two subjects: pre-clinical and clinical prosthetics until 1975, when the teaching contents was divided into four subjects (preclinical fixed prosthetics, preclinical mobile prosthetics, clinical fixed prosthetics and clinical mobile prosthetics). In 1999, the Dental Prosthetics Clinic was separated from the Department, and as an independent unit performs the activities of the theoretical and practical teaching in the field of dental prosthetics – fixed and mobile prosthetics, as a preclinical and clinical activity.

The first teacher in the subject of Dental Prosthetics was Dr. Dimitar Zhelezarov, who was elected in 1962, and is the author of the first teaching aids in the field of dental prosthetics. In 1962 Dr. Gjorgji Simov and Dr. Marko Filjanski, Dr. Eftim Mirchev, Dr. Vladimir Siljanovski, Dr. Stojan Petrovski and Dr. Vasil Galev join the team. The first Head of the Department of Fixed Dental Prosthetics and at the same time the Head of the eponymous clinic was Dr. Gjorgji Simov. He was succeeded by d-r Eftim Mirchev. The first Head of the Department of Mobile Dental Prosthetics was prof. Dr. Marko Filjanski, then prof. Dr. Ignatie Bogdanovski, and in the period 1996-1999, this role was assigned to prof. Dr. Dragoljub Veleski. Since 1999, the Head of the Department of Mobile Dental Prosthetics has been Prof. Dr. Sc Krste Dejanovski. After the reunion of the Departments of Fixed and Mobile Dental Prosthetics in one Department of Dental Prosthetics, the Heads were prof. Dr. Erol Shabanov, prof. Dr. Elena Petkova and prof. Dr. Jagoda Bajevska. Today, the Head of the Department of Dental Prosthetics is Prof. Dr. Sc Vesna Korunoska – Stevkovska.

Since 1975, after the construction of the current building of the Dental Clinic, the Department of Dental Prosthetics has been conducting its theoretical and practical work at the Clinic of Dental Prosthetics, which has modern equipment and premises: 2 clinical halls (fixed and mobile) equipped with 10 dental chairs for clinical lectures 2 preclinical dental laboratories: for fixed dental prosthetics and mobile dental prosthetics equipped with 10 dental chairs with phantom studio models for pre-clinical classes and a dental laboratory with a plaster room (educational center), equipped for lectures intended for dental technicians enrolled at the undergraduate study program. As part of the clinical activity, two dental laboratories for mobile and fixed prosthetics operate successfully as well as the CAD-CAM cabinet (for making the most modern titanium and completely ceramic and zirconium constructions).

Since 2002, the Department of Dental Fixed Prosthetics and the Department of Dental Mobile Prosthetics have been actively participating in the process of creating study programs for professional dental technicians and professional dental nurses.

Since 2003 the Department organizes the educational process according to ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), which creates conditions for better education and more objective assessment, as well as unification of knowledge with the higher education systems in the countries from the European Union.

The development of the Department in the last decade

In the last decade of the Faculty of Dentistry in Skopje, the Department of Dental Prosthetics has participated in the education of undergraduate and postgraduate students from II and III cycle of studies, education of trainees in the field of dental prosthetics, applying the latest techniques and methods in preparation of prosthetic constructions. In addition to the standard clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic methods, the teaching staff of the Department is trained to prepare modern works such as: non-metallic ceramics – crowns, bridges, laminates, inlay, onlay, making suprastructures to an implant, using milling techniques, laser placement of movable pins, press ceramics, methods for health and scientific purposes are used as computer analysis of occlusion with T-Scan system, CAD-CAM technique for making prosthetic constructions, FA-DE model for selecting artificial teeth, CONDYLOKOMP system, electromyography, computer tomography, etc. The dental laboratory where the practical training of preclinical fixed prosthetics takes place is equipped with 10 new simulation dental models – phantoms, premises that allow preclinical exercises to take place using modern equipment and materials. The three dental laboratories are supplied with new dental technical devices that enable precise processing of the prosthetic constructions. Here the classes for the students from the study programs for doctors of dental medicine and professional dental technicians are organized.

The practical work at the Department is carried out by teaching staff of the Department and graduated dental technicians as dental laboratory scientists.

Teaching-scientific and health activity

Today, the Department of Dental Prosthetics employs experienced, highly qualified and educated teaching-scientific staff who run theoretical and practical classes for undergraduate studies for doctors of dental medicine, professional dental technicians and professional dental nurses.

Since 2016, with the beginning of the integrated six-year studies for the first cycle of students of dental medicine, stipulated curriculum in the area of dental prosthetics cover the subjects: Preclinical fixed prosthetics, Preclinical mobile prosthetics, Clinical fixed prosthetics, Clinical mobile Prosthetics, Anatomy and Morphology of Jaws and Teeth, Dental Materials, Gnatology, a number of classes in the subject Implantology, Dental Aesthetics, Gerontostomatology. In the last year of their studies, the Department provides clinical practice in the area of restorative dentistry, educating the students theoretically and practically, using modern clinical diagnostic and therapeutic methods.           

The Department of Dental Prosthetics, using sophisticated equipment and dental materials of the highest quality, with its highly qualified teaching and scientific staff participates in the theoretical and practical activities in the study program aimed at professional dental technicians covering the following subjects: Anatomy and Physiology of the Chewing Mechanism, Appliances and Instruments in Dental technique, Dental Morphology I, Dental Morphology II, Fixed prosthesis technology – crowns, Fixed prosthesis technology – bridges, Technology of Dental Material I, Technology of Dental Material II, Technology of Mobile Prostheses – Total Prostheses, Technology of Mobile Prostheses – Partial Prostheses, with a certain number of hours for suprastructures in Dental Implantology, Biomechanics of the Chewing Mechanism, Skeletal Partial Prosthesis, Prosthetic Esthetics, Facial-Jaw Reconstructive Prosthetics, Dental Ceramic, Gerontostomatology. Through the practical classes in the dental technical laboratories for fixed and mobile prosthetics, as well as in the dental laboratory plaster room at the Faculty of Dentistry in Skopje, also through the anticipated internship for students in the dental technical laboratories for fixed and mobile prosthetics at the  Dental Clinical Centre ” St. Panteleimon ” in Skopje, quality and highly differentiated training of students from the study program for professional dental technicians is performed.

In the study program for professional dental nurses – oral hygienists, the Department of Dental Prosthetics participates in educatng students the following subjects: Dental Prosthetics, Dental Materials and Gerontostomatology.

The Department of Dental Prosthetics also organizes lectures of the following subjects: Medical Ethics and Psychology for the study program Doctors of Dental Medicine; Medical Psychology with Medical Ethics and Dentistry Management for the study programme for professional dental technicians; Medical Psychology with Medical Ethics, Professionalism and Teamwork and Dentistry Management for the study program for professional dental nurses – oral hygienists.

The students from the Faculty of Dentistry-Skopje, together with the professors and the associates of the Department of Dental Prosthetics as their mentors, participate in numerous domestic and international student congresses with their paper works.

The teaching and scientific staff of the Department of Dental Prosthetics at the Faculty of Dentistry in Skopje has published several textbooks, scripts, practicums, monographs and atlases that are used in the process of teaching the methodological units referring to the subjects at the Department.

In addition to the teaching, there is also the health activity that takes place within the PHI University Dental Clinical Center “St. Panteleimon ”in Skopje where, together with the educators, specialist education is performed. Professors, associates, as well as dental technicians, are constantly upgrading their knowledge by study visits abroad, cooperating with other faculties, actively and passively participating in courses, seminars and congresses.

Today, the Faculty of Dentistry in Skopje together with PHI University Dental Clinical Center “St. Panteleimon ”in Skopje, thanks to the modern equipment and highly qualified staff, achieves enviable results in the field of health and education of dental therapy.

At the Department of Dental Prosthetics, the teaching of postgraduate studies from the second and third cycle of studies is a continual process.

Scientific research and applied activity at the Department

The scientific research activity of the employees of the Department of Dental Prosthetics can be noticed by the numerous scientific and professional written work. The latter were presented and introduced at different congresses, gatherings, professional and scientific events, or published in domestic or foreign professional and educational printed media.

In the last decade of the Faculty of Dentistry at the Department of Dental Prosthetics, 26 master’s theses and 15 doctoral dissertations have been defended. During this ten-year period, two scientific projects have been completed at the Department. Along with that, the employees from the Department have also participated in the realization of three more scientific research projects in cooperation with other departments of the Faculty of Dentistry in Skopje, as well as with other organizations and institutions each working on a respective area. Issues subject to examination in this Department are based on the practices from everyday experience, as well as the attentive vigilance in reference to the most modern world literature.

Narrow interest to the scientific research was the distribution of occlusal forces in partial dentures with distally free saddles. The research also led to an assessment of the values of the CAD / CAM system in relation to the conventional way of making partial skeletal prostheses. Of particular importance was the examination performed to assess the durability of the subtotal telescopic prosthesis.

The attention from the research was also immensely stirred in relation to the impact of surface treatment of ceramic upgrades and their effect on the fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth. In vitro tests for assessing the strength of the ceramic-cement bond in fully ceramic systems were also in the limelight.

In fixed prosthetics, a special subject of examination was non-metallic ceramics. The research focused on evaluation of mechanical resistance of non-metallic crowns in terms of the type of tooth preparation correlated with the ferrule effect, as well as the bonding between zirconia and porcelain veneers. No less important were the tests related to the cement masses applied in dental fixed prosthetics.

Some researches were directed towards the importance of wearing night prostheses in aesthetic-prosthetic rehabilitation in patients with bruxism.

In everyday practice we encounter challenges that lead us to apply more modern methods, following world trends, within the limits of our capabilities. Our scientific research aims to improve, above all, the functionality and aesthetics of prosthetic rehabilitation of our patients, having in mind at the same time the need to use sophisticated methods and techniques, as well as modern materials in the manufacture of prosthetic constructions.

Teaching and research staff

Prof. Dr. Vesna Korunoska Stevkovska
Prof. Dr, Evdokija Jankulovska
Prof. Dr. Ljuben Guguvcevski
Prof. Dr. Nikola Gigovski
Prof. Dr. Biljana Kapusevska
Prof. Dr. Jadranka Bundevska
Prof. Dr. Gordana Kovacevska
Prof. Dr, Julijana Nikolovska
Prof. Dr. Saso Elencevski
Prof. Dr. Sanja Pancevska
Doc. Dr. Emilija Bajraktarova Valjakova
Senior Research Associate Dr. Saso Jovanovski
Research Associate Dr. Aneta Mijoska
Research Associate Dr. Natasa Stavreva
Research Associate Dr. Blagoja Dastevski
Research Associate Dr. Nadica Janeva
Research Associate Dr. Marijan Petkov
Research Associate Dr. Vesna Jurukovska Sotarovska
Ass Dr. Aneta Angelovska