Pharmacology is situated between the basic and clinical sciences and is important for dental students. There is a growing demand on the dental clinicians to know huge knowledge of drugs and how to use them for patients. For these purpose, the first lecture is aimed to teach the scientific aspects of pharmacology and how drugs act on the various body system. The second lecture deals with drugs of medical and dental fields and the last with drugs of special importance of dentistry. Dental students learn the principle of pharmacology through laboratory practice. Following these learning, they must acquire an adequate background for drug use in general practice.

1)Pharmacological analysis of the formation and resorption mechanisms of teeth and bone
2)Drug effects on the differentiation of the cells that participate formation and resorption process of the hard tissues
3)Identification of the new drug targets for hard tissue diseases
4)Translational research for the hard tissue regeneration
5)Analysis of side effects of the drug that appear in oral tissues

Original Article

1. Soysa N.S, Alles N. NF-kBfunctions in osteoclasts. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Vol.278, pp1-5, 2009
2. Onizawa M, Nagaishi T, Kanai T, Nagano K, Oshima S, Nemoto Y, Yoshioka A, Totsuka T, Okamoto R, Nakamura T, Sakamoto N, Tsuchiya K, Aoki K, Ohya K, Yagita H. Signaling pathway via TNF-a/NF-kBin intestinal epithelial cells may be directly involved in colitis-associated carcinogenesis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol Vol.296: G850-G859, January 2009
3. Soysa N, Alles N, Shimokawa H, Jimi E, Aoki K, Ohya K. Inhibition of the classical NF-kB pathway prevents osteoclast bone-resorbing activity. J Bone Miner Metab, Vol.27(2), pp131-139, 2009
4. Sriarj W, Aoki K, Ohya K, Takagi Y, Shimokawa H. Bovine dentine organic matrix down-regulates osteoclast activity. J Bone Miner Metab, Vol.27, pp315-323, 2009
5. Nyan M, Sato D, Kihara H, Machida T, Ohya K, Kasugai S. Effects of the combination with alpha-tricalcium phosphate and simvastatin on bone regeneration. J Clinical Oral Implants Res, Vol.20(3), pp280-287, March 2009
6. Soysa N, Alles N, Aoki K, Ohya K. Three-dimensional characterization of osteoclast bone-resorbing activity in the resorption lacunae. J Med & Dent Sci, Vol.56(2), pp107-112, June 2009
7. Tomomatsu N, Aoki K, Alles N, Soysa N, Hussain A, Nakachi H, Kita S, Shimokawa H, Ohya K, Amagasa T. LPS-Induced Inhibition of Osteogenesis Is TNF-a Dependent in a Murine Tooth Extraction Model. J Bone Miner Res, Vol.24(10), pp1770-1781, 2009
8. Alles N, Soysa N, Hussain A, Tomomatsu N, Saito H, Baron R, Morimoto N, Aoki K, Akiyoshi K, Ohya K. Polysaccharide nanogel delivery of a TNF-a and RANKL antagonist peptide allows systemic prevention of bone loss. Eur J Pharm Sci, Vol.37, pp83-88, 2009
9. Soysa N, Alles N, Weih D, Lovas A, Mian H, Shimokawa H, Yasuda H, Weih F, Jimi E, Ohya K, Aoki K. The Pivotal role of the alternative NF-kB pathway in maintenance of basal bone homeostasis and osteoclastogenesis. J Bone Miner Res, Published on 14th December, 2009
10. Maruyama T, Fukushima H, Nakao K, Shin M, Yasuda H, Weih F, Doi T, Aoki K, Alles N, Ohya K, Hosokawa R, Jimi E. Processing of the NF-b2 Precursor, p100, to p52 is Critical for RANKL-Induced Osteoclast Differentiation. J Bone Miner Res published on 14th December, 2009