We invited researchers from Wroclaw Medical University who were included in the latest edition of the World’s Top 2% Scientists ranking to complete a short questionnaire about their main research areas and scientific achievements. All participants received the same set of questions. Below we present researchers recognized in the 2024 annual achievements category.
Prof. Marcin Mikulewicz
1. Position held at Wroclaw Medical University
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry; Head of the Department of Craniofacial Developmental Anomalies, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.
2. Main research interests
Advanced orthodontic biomaterials; biocompatibility and ion release from dental materials; sustainable development and circular economy approaches in dentistry; and the application of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in orthodontics.
3. Why did this field become the most important one for you?
Orthodontic biomaterials and digital technologies combine basic science, engineering, and clinical medicine. This interdisciplinarity makes it possible to translate laboratory research directly into improved patient safety and more sustainable clinical practice.
4. Which of your achievements do you consider the most groundbreaking or inspiring?
At present, I consider the development of the SmileAhead – 26-SNP Platform for Precision Preventive Pediatric Dentistry to be the most groundbreaking. It proposes genetic risk profiling for oral diseases in children and integrates genomic data with predictive models for dental prevention. I hope this project will initiate a new direction—precision dentistry—bringing together genetics, bioinformatics, and clinical prevention.
Equally important has been the implementation of multi-element analyses (ICP-OES/MS) to assess biocompatibility and ion release from orthodontic appliances, as well as introducing circular-economy principles into orthodontics through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
5. Which discovery, idea, or publication by another researcher has particularly influenced your thinking about science?
The work of Walter Stahel and the concept of the Circular Economy, which inspired me to transfer sustainability principles into dentistry. I was also strongly influenced by material bioengineering researchers who bridge materials science with clinical practice.
6. How can your research affect everyday life or the development of technology and society?
My research supports the development of safer, more eco-friendly, and more precise orthodontic solutions. It helps reduce patients’ exposure to heavy metals, lowers the carbon footprint of dental clinics, and enables the introduction of bio-based and recyclable materials into orthodontic practice.
7. If you had unlimited resources and a team, what project would you pursue?
With unlimited funding and a world-class interdisciplinary team, I would initiate a long-term global research program tentatively titled “Bio-Ortho Circular Future Consortium (BOC-FUTURE)”. Its main objective would be:
“To create an integrated, closed life cycle for next-generation orthodontic appliances and auxiliary materials—from molecular design and biomaterial synthesis to controlled degradation and recycling—while simultaneously analyzing clinical, environmental, and social impacts.”
The outcome would be not only a materials revolution in orthodontics, but a comprehensive system of sustainable development in dentistry—from the laboratory, through the clinic, to end-of-life processing. This project could serve as a model for circular medicine, while generating top-tier publications, patents, spin-outs, and tangible impact on clinical practice and the environment.
8. One piece of advice for young people considering a scientific career
Don’t be afraid to combine different disciplines—the future of science lies in interdisciplinarity, openness, and the courage to ask questions that go beyond established frameworks.