Tolga Tozum, DDS, PhD
Professor
Periodontics
Contact
Building & Room:
469G
Address:
801 S. Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60612
Email:
About
Dr. Tolga Fikret Tozum serves as Professor in the Department of Periodontics at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He is a dental graduate from Gazi University in Ankara, Turkey, and completed an integrated postgraduate clinical education program in Periodontics at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. He earned his Ph.D. through a joint program between Hacettepe University and the University of Michigan. Dr. Tözüm also earned a Certificate in Advanced Periodontics from the University of Illinois Chicago. Prior to joining UIC, Dr. Tözüm served as Professor of Periodontics and Associate Dean of Dentistry at Hacettepe University. He currently serves on the Advisory Board and Teaching Committee for the PhD course in Bio-Engineering Applied to Medical Sciences at the University of Messina, Italy. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Near East University (Northern Cyprus), Lokman Hekim University, and Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (Turkey).
Dr. Tozum is a Fellow and Diplomate of the Academy of Osseointegration (AO), where he serves as a Director for the Osseointegration Foundation, Chair of the AO Research Grants Committee, and Chair of the AO Website Education Committee. He serves on the editorial boards of several internationally recognized journals, including Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research, International Journal of Oral Implantology, the Journal of Implant and Advanced Clinical Dentistry, and the Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Research.
He has received 10 awards and honors from local, national, and international scientific organizations for his clinical, teaching, and research efforts. He has organized numerous local and international dental meetings, lectured over 100 times globally, and published more than 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals focusing on implant surgery, 3D imaging, advanced periodontics and artificial intelligence (AI). He has authored/translated 14 book chapters and served as the translation editor for a major textbook on full-arch dental implant rehabilitation. He has been in clinical practice for more than 20 years.
Selected Publications
Education
Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey (Dentistry), 1998
Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey (Periodontology), 2002
Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey and University of Michigan, PhD (Health Sciences), 2002
University of Illinois Chicago, Illinois, Certificate in Advanced Education in Periodontics, 2017
Hypnosis Motivation Institute, California (Hypnotherapy), 2020
Licensures and Certifications
Licensed Dentist, Illinois
Licensed Specialist in Dentistry (Periodontics), Illinois
Research Currently in Progress
He has served as the primary investigator and co-investigator for numerous research activities, including the study of periodontal and peri-implant health and disease (specifically inflammatory markers in periodontal crevicular fluid and peri-implant sulcus fluid).
His work includes comparative soft tissue grafting surgeries, regenerative procedures related to hard tissue applications, and the evaluation of hard tissue regenerative grafting via histomorphometry and micro-tomography.
His research also encompasses: Understanding the stability and mobility values of immediate, early, and delayed loaded dental implants. Studying the effects of different types of prosthetic loading on implants in both healthy and diseased states. Evaluating the quality and quantity of jawbones using spiral medical tomography and cone beam computed tomography. Investigating the association between bone density and the stability of dental implants. Performing esthetic analyses of endosseous implants and utilizing AI to identify vital anatomic structures, landmarks of the jaws and long-term predictability of regenerative surgeries.